What if things were different?
by elliot.and.jd.4eva1
Summary: Bella is changed long before Edward. She is alone. She saves him from the Spanish influenza, not Carlisle. They join together, but don’t realise that they are meant to be together, or won’t admit it. They find Carlisle and esme, joining the Cullen coven..
1. Bella's Change

**What if……. things were different?**

**(not sure about the title, may change.)**

**Ok, so this is the first chapter of my new story. Hope you like it. It's quite different than most stories on this, but I had the idea and liked it so; let me know what you think and if I should continue.**

**Disclaimer: SM owns all except the plot and Sarah and Jack.**

**I want to thank everyone who suggested titles for this story, you were all a big help.**

**Summary:**

**Bella is changed long before Edward. She is alone. She saves him from the Spanish influenza, not Carlisle. They join together, but don't realise that they are meant to be together, or won't admit it. They find Carlisle and esme, joining the Cullen coven. All are 'vegetarians' still. Years pass. They move to forks. Rest of Cullens are still human (Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, jasper.) Edward and bella enrol at forks high to pose as teenagers, as they have done many times before. They have become good friends over the years but are still not together. They pose as esme and Carlisle's adoptive children and pretend to be together to get annoying hormonal teenagers to leave them alone. What will happen? (summary may change slightly)**

BPOV

I was walking alone in the forest when I heard it. The snap of a foot breaking a branch, the sound that told me I was not alone, as I'd thought. Of course, it could have simply been an animal, but that wasn't how my life worked. Maybe I should tell you about myself. It is currently the year 1612 and I live with my mother and my father, Lord Charles and lady Renée in the province of Ulster, Ireland. We were planted here in the county of Tyrone during the successful Ulster plantation of 1609. I have just turned seventeen and they have decided that it is well past time that I am married. They have told me that I shall wed a respectable man, of their choosing, but I refuse. I shall marry for love or not at all. Alas, I know that, in the end, the decision will be made for me, as it always is. I just do not wish to be stuck in a loveless marriage for the rest of my life. I sighed. I came into the forest to think over the situation and see if there was any light it could be put in that would make the situation seem less dire, there was not. And now this, somebody was following me. Joy. It seemed that trouble followed me, wherever I went. I couldn't escape it. And to top it of, I was one of the clumsiest people alive. No, scratch that, I **was** the clumsiest person alive. I could not seem to walk across a completely flat surface, with absolutely nothing to obstruct me, without seeming to trip over my own feet and fall flat on my face. There was no doubt that if I tried to run, whoever was following me would just capture me faster, as ii would certainly trip over one of the many roots protruding from the forest floor.

I tried to calmly walk away, slowly, steadily, I told myself, do not alert them to the fact that you know that they're there. Just keep walking Bella, do not look back. Walk at a steady pace. But I could hear them gaining on me, whoever they were, I could sense their presence creeping up on me and I began to panic. They seemed a lot faster than me. Screw it, I thought to myself and I started running as fast as I possibly could. Only problem was, you know the person who's chasing me, yeah, they decide to start running as well, and you know what else? They're a lot lot lot faster than me. Then, my clumsiness decides to make an appearance. I tripped on a root and went tumbling forward. I waited for the impact of the ground, but it never came. Instead, I felt two strong arms wrap themselves around my waist. Then I got my first look at the man who had been chasing me. He was inhumanly beautiful. I let my gaze wander up his body slowly, and thought to myself, maybe, just maybe, he's not a threat and does not wish to hurt me, oh, please let that be true. When I reached his face, I knew I was doomed, his eyes were black and his facial features were twisted into a mask of pure evil.

I thought of my mother, my father, my friends, how painful it would b e for them to lose me. How painful it would be for me, to never see them again. I was about to open my mouth and let out a blood-curdling scream, but he was too fast. Before I had time to blink, he had attacked me and bit into my throat. I writhed in agony as he drained my body of blood. Then, all of a sudden, everything went numb. I no longer felt the pain, I felt nothing. I thought that I might be dead, I felt peaceful, but then, my whole body burst into flames. I had no idea what was going on. All I knew was the flames. Licking at every part of my body. I turned this way and that but I could not escape the flames. It felt like I was being burned alive, for all I knew, I could have been. The agony never seemed to cease. It continued for what felt like an eternity and then some. I later found out that it was merely three days. I tried to scream for help, but it seemed that no-one could hear me, either that or no-one cared. Eventually, when I had begged for death over and over again, anything would be better than this, the pain lessened. Finally! But then, it increased ten-fold. There were no words to describe the agony I was experiencing. I felt my heart beat for the last time and my organs shrivel up. There was no longer blood pumping through my veins. My heart no longer beat. I should be dead, but I was not.

The pain began to lessen again, and I prepared myself for it to build up to even more unimaginable agony again, but it didn't. This time, the pain continued to lessen until it disappeared completely. I opened my eyes and was shocked that I was still alive, that I felt no pain. I had just gone through the three most agonizing days of my entire life, and I wake up to feel nothing but refreshed? What in God's almighty name was going on?

I looked around me to notice that I was alone in the woods, how had I gotten here again? Then I began to remember, being angry at my parents, walking through the forest to think and finally, the terrible, beautiful monster chasing me and catching me. I remembered the agony; it was something I could never forget. I would also never forget the monstrous, hungry look in his eyes as he bent to bite into the soft flesh of my throat. What was he? What am I? Was I still human or had the monster changed me into one of him? Oh, no I'd never see my family or friends again. This caused me to break down and begin to cry, but wait, there were no tears. I couldn't cry? I was definitely no longer human, but the question was; what was I?

I had sat a while in the forest, pondering what had happened, and trying to figure everything out, when I noticed that my sense of sight was more heightened than usual. Hum, strange, I thought to myself. Every colour seemed somehow more bright and vibrant. It seemed that my other senses had been heightened as well; smell, sound, and I could only guess touch and taste as well. I suddenly realised that there was a painful burning in my throat; I felt that if I didn't quench my thirst soon, I would die from dehydration. I made haste towards the stream that I knew was near, due to frequent walks in this particular forest. When I arrive at the stream, the precious liquid seemed less than appealing, but I told myself I was imagining it. I felt that I might die of thirst and didn't want water? Preposterous! I realised that maybe I should have listened to my instincts when I cupped the water in my hands and raised it to my lips. It was truly disgusting! So what did I crave? What would soothe this incessant burning in the back of my throat? I saw a stray cow that must have wandered from one of the plantation farms, and my instincts took over.** (A/n: yeah I know, cow, kinda weird, but there wouldn't really be any lions or bears in Ireland and it's better than a sheep or a dog etc so I decided on a cow).** Before I knew what was happening, I had attacked the poor animal and drained it of the blood that had coursed through its veins. I felt a wave of disgust and nausea wash over me. I finally knew what I was. It had been painfully obvious, now that I think about it. I was a vampire.

I had run away from the lifeless corpse of the animal I'd just killed. Guess what? Vampires had super speed too, now isn't that just great? I had to destroy myself, what if that cow had been a person, I would not have been able to control myself, I know that much. Then I would have a murder on my hands. I'd have to stay out of society until I could find a way to destroy myself.

Well, that didn't work, I had spent a whole week trying to kill myself, drowning , I can breathe under water, just great, I had tried to stab myself, sword bent, I had tried throwing myself off a cliff, that was actually kinda fun, but still didn't work, drinking poison, disgusting, by the way, but still didn't work! I tried all these things and more, but none of them would work. I resigned myself to the fact that I would be unable to destroy myself, no matter how hard I tried. But I refused to conform to the traditional diet of vampires. While passing through a small town, on the hunt for larger prey, I realised how appealing the humans smelled to me and that I would have to perfect my self control, which meant that I would have to spend time around them, but not here, not in Ireland. The country was too small, my parents would be looking for me, people would be looking for me, it was too much of a risk, besides Ireland did not have animals large enough to sustain me and allow me to resist the temptation of

Human blood.

I spent the next few days trying to figure out where I would go. I decided in the end to go to Britain, it was closest and a lot bigger. I might have a chance of finding another vampire. I wonder if there are any other vampires who drink the blood of animals, hopefully. It turns out that not needing to breathe was very helpful indeed. I swam the short distance between Ireland and Britain without any difficulty whatsoever.

I reached Britain easily, but was unsure of what to do. I was lost, alone and confused. It also turns out that vampires don't sleep either. What was I supposed to do to spend the time? I didn't even know if we aged. What if I just had to roam the earth for the rest of eternity? This was wrong, unnatural, I shouldn't be alive right now, my heart had long ago beaten its last. It was as I was roaming along the road, pondering what I should do, that I was roughly tackled to the ground. Another vampire had attacked me, he had topaz eyes, as did I. I hoped that meant he fed on animal blood too. I didn't think that I could deal with a human-bloodthirsty vampire right now.

'Who are you?' he asked me.

'My name is Isabella Marie swan.' I replied.

'Well, your eyes are topaz, so you are not a threat to the humans here. My name is Jack. Come, I'll introduce you to my mate, Sarah.'

Jack and Sarah explained everything about being a vampire to me. Super speed, super strength, super sensitive hearing, don't sleep, heightened senses, etc. We also sparkle in sunlight and possess a beauty that is inhuman to lure in our prey. We did not age and could live for eternity. The only way we could be killed was to tear us apart and burn the pieces. Jack and Sarah welcomed me because I only drank the blood of animals. We headed to London together so that I could become a nurse and help the sick.

Over the next 200 years a lot changed, technology improved, as did medicine. And I got to watch all this progress. We moved around a lot to avoid suspicion, as we did not age. I remained a 'volunteer nurse' due to the fact that I was forever frozen at 17 and could pass for no older than 22. There was also the fact that women were 'not equal' to men. But we had a lot more rights than we had in my time. I decided that I wanted to leave London, but Jack and Sarah did not. I decided that I would go to America. I bought a boat ticket and said goodbye to them. The trip to America was long, when we reached Chicago, the first thing I did was go to the hospital and find out about getting a job similar to my old one. I lied and told them I was 22, as I had done so many times before. I was given the job and told I could start immediately. The year was 1912 and I had just started my new life.

**Whew! Four pages! Edward will probably come up in the next chap. Hope you liked it. R&R you know the drill. ******

**.jd.4eva1**


	2. Edward

**Disclaimer: SM owns all except the plot**

**Ok I know I haven't updated in a while and I could lie and say I've been really busy but that would be lame. So I'm going to tell the truth and say I've been really busy!!!!!!! ****Sorry about that, my hit attempt at being witty. Plus a lot of writer's block does not equal good for the story I'm currently writing. Anyway enjoy the chapter and don't forget to REVIEW! They make me smile ******

**REPLYS TO REVIEWS YIPPEE! (I'll do these as much as possible)**

Amazing-Abbie:

**Thank you soooo much! You were the first person to review. If I ever perfect the process of cloning characters from books, you'll be the first person I'll send an Edward to, after me, obviously! ******** (You know what Edwards to everyone who reviewed this story AND B.A.V.)**

x0AlicexJazz0x:

**Wait and see! It's part of the fun! (****For me) Mwahahahhahahahahhha I'm mentally unstable ******

Lil' Confederate Soldier Girl

**Me neither!**

amycullen1993

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chickenn

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lovetoread87

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ddgs17

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**I thought about writing those parts but thought that people would get bored without Edward in the picture.**

Lips-Of-Lust7

**Please don't sic the volturi on me! Please, I'm begging you! ******** : L (yeah I'm nuts, moving on) thanks for the review for BAV too and I'll check put your story ASAP.**

**Please enjoy the chapter!**

BPOV

I had been working in the hospital in Chicago for six years when it happened. The 1918 influenza pandemic. People admitted to the hospital with the deadly virus had little chance of survival. It was more so a matter of when, not if. Many doctors and nurses had contracted the disease from patients, so measures were taken to try and stop the spreading, many useless. Masks were worn, infected patients were placed in different wards etc, and this slowed the spread somewhat. Not much could be done to help you once you had caught the influenza. We did our best to make sure the patients were as comfortable as possible and did everything in our power to cure them, but, for most it was to no avail.

It was in the worst of the epidemic that the Mason family were admitted. It was obvious that the father, Edward senior, would not survive the night. The mother, Elizabeth, and son, Edward junior, did not have much left in them either. It wrenched on my heart-strings to see such suffering, especially this, a whole family dying together. I wished so badly that I could help them.

I found out later that I was their assigned nurse, but it wouldn't make much difference, I thought to myself. Edward senior went that very night, as I had predicted. Elizabeth had only a few days left in her, and their child, Edward, had a week left at most. Over the next few days, Elizabeth got steadily worse. The fever took over and made her delirious. I did my best to help her, to keep her comfortable. She was in her last few hours, anyone could see that, when she grabbed me and begged me to save her son.

At first I did not understand. I reassured her that I would do everything in my power to save Edward, but I could not promise that he would live. 'Yes you can!' she insisted, 'you can do something nobody else can, you can save him, you have to, please!' But she couldn't know, could she? She couldn't know what I was. 'I'm afraid I don't know what you're saying, Mrs. Mason. There's nothing I can do that no-one else can.' 'Bella, I know what you can do, you have to help me, help Edward, please, you've got to! Please, just help him.' She begged this of me in her final minutes, and then death claimed her. She couldn't have meant what I thought she meant, could she? But what else could she have possibly meant? What should I do? If she really knew what I was, she wouldn't want that for her son, would she? She wouldn't want him to become a monster. I was so confused and had no idea what to do. I wanted to save him; I really did, partly because it was the only way to stop him from dying, and partly for a more selfish reason. I had been so lonely over the last 200 years. It would be nice to have someone to talk to, but I could not bring myself to damn someone for eternity just to selfishly diminish my own loneliness. I honestly had absolutely no idea what to do!

I walked over to Edward's bed and looked down at him. He was sleeping at the moment. He looked peaceful while he slept, but while he was awake, the fever nearly burnt him alive. How could I watch this poor boy suffer? But how I could I damn him? Ugh, my brain hurt! What should I do?! Well, I had to decide soon, because he only had a few hours left. As I had been pondering his fate, Edward had woken up without my notice and was now staring up at me with curious green eyes. I had it; I would explain it to him as briefly as possible and let him decide. As I was deciding this, Edward began to writhe in pain. His forehead was on fire, I placed a wet cloth on it in an attempt to cool him down.

I leaned down next to him and whispered soothingly in his ear in an attempt to comfort him. His writhing began to slow and finally came to a stop. When he had finally become lucid, I began to speak. 'Edward, can you hear me?' His reply came in the form of a pain-filled moan. I was almost certain he could hear me. 'Edward, I need you to listen to me. I can help you. I can save you, but it will hurt, a lot. It will hurt more than anything you have experienced in your life. Do you want me to save you Edward?' He nodded weakly in response. Should I do it? I didn't want to let him die, but could I really justify damning another sentient being to this hellish existence? As I was considering this dilemma, Edward's fever had begun to spike again. I looked at the monitors and realised he had very little time left to him. I had to decide, now.

I gathered him up in my arms, thank you super-strength! I ran him to my house as fast as I could. Nobody noticed, there were too many people that needed help for the doctors and nurses to miss one lone body. By the time I reached my house, Edward was unconscious; I would have to work quickly. I lay him down gently upon the unnecessary bed in my room, as of course I did not sleep. I was unsure of how to go about biting him. I did not wish to cause him any unnecessary pain. I was slightly afraid I would not be able to resist his blood once I had sunk my teeth into his skin, but there was only one way to find out. I bent down by his throat and bit into the soft skin. My mouth filled with venom which then entered Edward's bloodstream via my fangs. I pulled away with some effort and wiped my mouth clean.

Edward's body had begun writhing. Soon, he would start screaming in agony. I wish there was something I could do to help him, to ease his pain. But all I could do was sit there and hold his hand, whispering soft and soothing words in his ear.

The next three days were the longest I had experienced in my entire existence. Even longer than the duration of my own change. It almost killed me, not literally of course, to see him in pain. That I was the one to inflict it upon him. For some unknown reason I felt a strange connection to him. I felt very protective of him and it hurt me to see him in pain, knowing there was nothing I could do about it.

Late the third day, I knew that the change was near its end. His screams became louder and more agonised. His heart pumped much faster. The venom had spread to his whole system and his organs were failing. He was, technically and medically, dying. But, at the same time, he was being saved. This was the most painful part of the change, the intensity of the flames increased to unbearable. But it would be over soon. I squeezed his hand and whispered softly, 'Edward, it will soon be over, the pain will stop, I promise.' I had spent the past three days at his side not moving an inch, trying to calm his shrieks and writhing body. I was glad that he would soon be free of the pain, but worried that he would loathe me for damning him to this existence. Would he envy the dead? Would he begrudge me the opportunity to experience the afterlife? Heaven, hell, reincarnation…whatever came after this? No, I mustn't think like that, I gave him a choice, but I didn't explain it completely. Two sides of me were fighting one another, and I didn't know which was right. Would he hate me and leave, too disgusted to even look at the person who damned him? Would he accept my animal blood diet, or would he choose the preferred option of vampires? Had I unleashed a menace upon society? No, Edward would not do that, I was sure of it. Alas, I could not know for certain, I barely knew the boy. If he chose to drink the blood of humans, there was little I could do to stop him. I would present him with the facts and let him decide. Hopefully he would choose my path.

As I had been engrossed in thought, Edward's screaming and writhing had subsided. The change was complete. He would wake in a matter of seconds. I felt a strange mixture of excitement and anxiety. I waited with bated breath for him to awake. Ten seconds, twenty seconds, and then…..his eyes opened.

**Ooh, ****cliffy! Sorry! Lips of lust7: please don't sic the volturi on me! Please, I'm begging you! ******** : L (yeah I'm nuts, moving on) **

**I'm gonna be really nice and give you a sneak preview of the next chappie (because I'm nice)**

**BPOV **

He looked frantically around the room as he tried and failed to place where he was. I decided to speak up to calm him. 'Edward, please remain calm. Do you remember me? I was your nurse, Isabella Marie Swan. You were about to die of the influenza and your mother begged me to save you with her last breath. She somehow knew that I was different, that I could save you. I don't know how she knew, but she did. I asked for your permission, but of course, you were delirious. I know you have just suffered great agony Edward, and that you must be very confused. You are probably experiencing a burning sensation in your throat.' At this Edward raised a hand to his throat with a gasp. 'And you have certainly noticed that your senses are much keener. Edward, this is because….. You are a vampire.'

**What shall happen next?! ****Mwahahahhahahahahhha (again me=nuts)**

**Now there's only one thing left to say: REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REV REVIEW IEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW and did I mention**** REVIEW!!!!****Please of course.**

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**.jd.4eva**


	3. After His Change

**Disclaimer: SM owns all, except plot. Please don't sue.**

**Okay a lot to announce. First of all I posted an author's note before this chapter concerning whether or not I should write in EPOV. I got a good bit of feedback, mostly in favour. The reason I was slightly reluctant to was because Edward has always been a sort of mystery and I think that that would work well with my storyline. I would like to thank **DazzledDanielle **for her idea to give snippets of his POV. I was thinking of something along the same lines and you really helped me to unjumble my thoughts. There won't be much EPOV, just snippets about every 2 chapters. Let me know what you think. I would also like to thank everyone else who reviewed concerning the author's note: **Lil' Confederate Soldier Girl, Iceheart97, Alice-Cullen-Twila-Reader, DazzledDanielle, Ezmarelda Elizabeth MacKlintof and amycullen1993.** You all convinced me to write in EPOV, but only a little bit. So thanks, and enjoy the chapter, but don't forget to review!: L ******

**Also, go check out **Alice-Cullen-Twila-Reader's** stories and **DazzledDanielle 's ** story 'after the twilight'. If you want me to mention one of your stories in the next chapter, just ask in a review and I'll be happy to do so.**

EPOV (the change)

The last thing I remembered before the pain was the nurse whispering something in my ear, something about saving me but of course that wasn't possible. I had merely hours left. Then, I felt a peculiar sensation, as if I were flying. Ah, so this is how it feels to die, I remember thinking. Peaceful, easy. And then, the pain. That awful, agonising pain. I felt as if my body was on fire. What was happening? Why? Would it ever end? It seemed unlikely. I suffered through this agony for what felt like decades, centuries even, but was, in actual fact, merely days. I may have screamed, most likely, but the sound never reached my ears. My brain did not register the heart wrenching vibrations. After what felt an eternity, the pain lessened somewhat. I felt my body sigh in relief. I thought it was over……I was mistaken. The pain returned, worse than ever. The flames engulfed me, and threatened to burn me to a cinder. Just as I was begging for mercy for what felt like the billionth time, the pain lessened again. I braced myself for another increase in the intensity of agony, even though I was sure I would not bear it. But it never came. The pain continued to lessen, and then, it was simply gone. I lay there silently for a second, not quite comprehending the fact that the torture was over. I couldn't believe I had survived that. Or had I? Was I alive, was I dead? There was only one way to find out. So I opened my eyes.

BPOV

He looked frantically around the room as he tried and failed to place where he was. I decided to speak up to calm him. 'Edward, please remain calm. Do you remember me? I was your nurse, Isabella Marie Swan. You were about to die of the influenza and your mother begged me to save you with her last breath. She somehow knew that I was different, that I could save you. I don't know how she knew, but she did. I asked for your permission, but of course, you were delirious. I know you have just suffered great agony Edward, and that you must be very confused. You are probably experiencing a burning sensation in your throat.' At this Edward raised a hand to his throat with a gasp. 'And you have certainly noticed that your senses are much keener. Edward, this is because….. You are a vampire.'

He just stared at me incredulously and blinked dumbly. He finally snapped out of his stupor and burst out laughing. 'I'm sorry Isabella.' 'It's Bella.' I interrupted him. 'Okayyyyyy, **Bella, **I don't want to insult you. But if you think that vampires are real, you're certifiably insane!' 'Edward, I understand why you might feel that way, it's a perfectly reasonable response. However, I'm afraid that vampires** are** real and you **are **one.' 'Bu-but th-that's impossible. Vampires can't be real. They're just mythical creatures that were made up to entertain and frighten.' 'Edward, vampires **are **real. And I'm going to prove it to you.' I decided that the best way to prove that I was a vampire was to show him my super-speed and super-strength, for a start anyway. I ran downstairs and back in under two seconds to find him staring at me dumbfounded. I lifted the bed in one fluid movement and balanced it on the tip of my little finger. Then I did the same with the chest of drawers on my other hand. Edward simply watched in amazement as the weight of neither of these items seemed to faze me.

I set the pieces of furniture carefully back onto the floor. Then I turned to face Edward and asked me if he believed me yet. 'I believe that you are indeed inhuman, that much is painfully obvious. But that doesn't automatically mean that you're a vampire.' I let out a sigh of exasperation and gestured for him to come closer to me. 'Edward, come here. Place your hand upon my chest. My heart does not beat. It hasn't done so for over two hundred years. Feel my skin, it is ice cold and rock hard. Blood no longer courses through my veins. I do not live. I need not breathe. I do not age. I am technically dead, but I still exist. How? I do not know, and I do not pretend to. All I know is I am a vampire. I was made this way by another vampire. Who? I know not. They had deserted me by the time I had awoken. But Edward, you **are **a vampire. You may not want to be, but you are. I'm sorry, but it was the only way to save you. Your mother begged me to make sure you did not die. I shall understand if you loathe me too much to even look at me, and leave, to be quite honest I loathe myself at this moment in time. It was extremely selfish of me to damn you to this existence.' 'So I'm really a vampire?' 'Yes, you are. Why are you being so calm?' 'Well, what's done is done. There's nothing I can do to change it. I do have one question though. What **do **we eat?'

**A/N: (imagine if I ended it here. ****God that WOULD be evil!)**

'You mean, do we drink blood? Yes, we do. That burning sensation at the back of your throat is a thirst for blood, not water.' Edward looked at me with absolute horror and disgust. 'But I am different than most vampires, and I have met other vampires like myself.' I thought fondly of Jack and Sarah. 'I do not feast on human blood. Like most vampires. Instead I drink the blood of animals. It neither tastes nor smells as good as human blood, but it sustains you and keeps you strong. Plus I would rather kill an animal than a human being. I seem to find it easier than most vampires to resist human blood. I would be very grateful if you would try my diet instead of the traditional vampire diet.' I waited anxiously for what seemed like hours, but was probably merely seconds, as he decided. 'I would love to,' he finally said.

As we had been talking his eyes had darkened as he got steadily hungrier. I decided that it would be best for us to hunt as soon as possible. I led him outside and instructed him to follow me as I began running to the place where we would be hunting. He was extremely fast and soon instinct took over, and he was ahead of me. Of course, he had no idea where we were going, so he slowed. 'Hurry up, would ya?!' he joked in my ear. I laughed out loud at that one. We reached the forest. Edward looked around nervously, unsure of what to do. I did not smell any human scent anywhere near so I instructed him to just follow his instincts.

By the end of the night, between us we had drained a heard of deer and a few mountain lions. It seemed that they were his favourite. The sun was coming up so I instructed Edward to stay where he was so he could see what happened to us in the sunlight. When his skin started sparkling I heard him gasp in surprise. I didn't blame him, he looked even more beautiful sparkly. I finally tore my eyes away from his godlike body and was surprised to see him looking at me. He must have caught me staring at him. Thank god I could no longer blush. Or else I'd be beet root.

We made our way back to the house. He would have to stay inside until we moved, so nobody would recognise him. He was supposed to be dead, after all. We would have to move soon and locate somewhere new. I wasn't sure where yet, but we would have to decide soon. I was just surprised that he actually wanted to stay with me.

After much deliberation, we decided on Portland. It was extremely rainy there so we would be able to go out in the daylight. I could finally go to school learn more. Then I may even be able to go onto college afterward and study medicine. Edward was glad to be able to go back to school as well. We would go to school during the day and work at the local hospital at night. May as well, seeing as how we can't sleep. Then after four years, when high school was over, we would move again, either college or high school again, I was not sure. We would leave tomorrow, heading towards the beginning of our new lives.

**Well, hope you liked it. Don't forget to review. Press the little blue button. Go on, you know you want to!**

**Kate**

**xxxx**


	4. Portland

**Disclaimer: All belongs to SM except plot and unrecognised characters.**

**Next chap is up. Sorry it took so long. I caught a bad bout of writer's block, unfortunately. I'm not sure how good this chapter is, I hope you like it. But leave a review and let me know! You know you want to! : L ******

**Please read the authors note at the end when you've read the chapter. Thanks!**

BPOV

We arrived in Portland a few days later. The first thing we had to do was enrol in the local high school. Then we would have to find out about working at the hospital on certain nights. We couldn't work there every night of course. People would get suspicious and may realise that we did not sleep. It was doubtful that they would even let us work there, seeing as how we would be posing as freshmen, even though I was over two-hundred years old. Hopefully, they would allow us to 'volunteer' though; we had decided to say that it was for experience purposes for future endeavours alone.

We arrived first at the house we had rented. We then began to unpack at vampire speed. It was much easier than doing it at normal speed. We completed a task that would have taken humans hours in mere minutes. As soon as we were done, we left for the high school.

When we arrived we went straight to the office to enrol. The receptionist was a young woman named Jane, judging by her nametag. I worried briefly whether or not Edward would be able to control his bloodlust. Maybe I had sprung this on him too soon. I glanced at him worriedly. He looked pained and I grasped his hand in an attempt to reassure him. Jane glared at me, which confused me. Edward grasped my hand harder and his face became more pained. What on earth was going on?

I cleared my throat unnecessarily to clear the air and began.

'Hello, Jane. My name is Bella Swan, and this is Edward Mason. We'd like to enrol at this school, if it's not too much trouble.'

'Where are your parents', she asked snootily, all the while glaring at Edward's hand in mine. Ah, jealously. One of the seven deadly sins. She merely continued to glare at me and seemed to decide upon ignoring me. She turned to Edward and smiled at him in a sickly sweet manner. Ah, lust. Another of the seven deadlies. This girl would have a lot to answer for at the pearly gates.

'And what can I do for **you?**' she purred at Edward in what I assumed she thought a seductive manner. Edward looked faintly disgusted. I tried to restrain myself from giggling, but unfortunately a slight sound escaped. She took a second from the ridiculous batting of her eyelashes to glare at me, Edward still looked faintly ill. I needed to move this along. It was taking way longer than expected.

'Excuse me Jane, but can we **please **enrol now?'

'Oh, yes, of course, here are the forms you need to fill out.' Wow, she was actually doing her job, although she didn't seem exactly happy about that fact. I filled out the

Forms and handed them back to her. She took them, looked through them, saw that they were in order, and told us we could start tomorrow.

We left the office and Edward turned to me looking horrified.

'That was- that was absolutely…. Terrible. I feel so...so...so...violated.' That confused me somewhat. 'What do you mean?'

'What do you mean, 'what do you mean'? Did you not hear what she was saying?! Vile woman!'

'Edward, what do you mean, what she said? Yes, it's true, she was a tad inappropriate in the way she was looking at you. But she didn't say anything that could be construed as 'vile'.'

'Are you seriously telling me that you did not hear her comments on my ahem body etc.?' He looked completely embarrassed and if he could blush, he'd be beet root.

'Eh, Edward, she didn't say anything of the sort, you don't think….you don't think that you can…read minds, do you?'

After enrolling at the school, we had to go to the hospital to find out about our part time jobs. When we arrived at the hospital, we decided to test out our theory considering whether or not Edward could read minds. It seemed that I was right. He said that every female we passed were literally screaming lustful thoughts at him. However, we still couldn't figure out why he could not hear my thoughts.

We walked over to the receptionist's desk and enquired as to where we should go to find out about working at the hospital.

An hour later, we were heading home. I had been right. We had to pull the experience card and could only work weekends and certain evenings, so as not to disrupt our education. I guess that actually made sense, seeing as how this would be our first time in high school, though we would certainly be going again.

We went home and spent the rest of the night talking. We found that we actually had a lot in common; we both loved Debussy, especially Clair de Lune. I discovered that he wished to learn to play the piano and he learned that I loved the book, 'Wuthering Heights'. I had bought a copy of it when it was first published. That reminded me, I needed to buy a new copy, my old one was crumpling due to overuse. He disagreed with my choice of book; he said that the characters were self-destructive and that they brought everything that went wrong in their lives upon themselves. I disagreed and we spent the rest of the night engaged in what you might call a heated discussion.

We had been so engrossed in our discussion that we hadn't even noticed the sun come up. The time had progressed so much so without our notice that by the time we realised how late it was, we had barely fifteen minutes until school began. Thank god for vampire super-speed. We both ran upstairs to get ready and were out the door in less than one minute. We entered the forest and began running towards the school. The school was quite faraway so it took us just under seven minutes to reach it running at full speed.

We had to visit the school office yet again before going into the school to get our schedules and other necessities for our first day. We headed towards the main school building for our first class of the day. I was quite worried about Edward being in such a crowded area being assaulted by all the mingling scents of human blood. I looked over at him but he seemed to be taking it all in his stride. He had very good self-control for a newborn. Suddenly, he made an extremely pained-face. This worried me greatly so I stopped him and grabbed him by the shoulders.

'Edward, are you okay? What's wrong? Do you want to go home? I'm sure that I can convince them you're sick. I'll go home with you.'

'It's not that Bella, it's….it's their thoughts.'

'Oh, Edward. I'm so sorry! What are they thinking about you now?'

'It's not just me; the boys are thinking impure thoughts about you too.' He clenched his jaw as he said this. Hmm I wonder why?

'Oh, Edward, don't worry about it.'

I started walking towards the classroom again when I felt someone's arm snake around my shoulders. I looked up in surprise to see Edward's arm resting on my shoulders. I asked him what he was doing at vampire speed.

'I just thought that if they think we're together, it might keep their hormonal thoughts at bay.' He replied.

'Okay.'

By then we had reached our first class. We just avoided being late, so we rushed into the classroom to make sure we weren't. We were lucky enough to grab two seats together. I really did not wish to be bothered by teenage hormonal humans. Lustful boys and jealous girls. Ugh, I barely suppressed a shiver. I could understand my own aversion to their ridiculous hormones; I'd been a vampire for two-hundred years, or crying out loud! However, Edward's confused me; he'd only been a vampire for a few days. Shouldn't he be enjoying the extra attentions of the opposite sex brought on by his new vampire qualities? Although I had found him just as attractive before he had become a vampire. Even in his delusional, fever-ridden state. Whoa, where did that thought come from? I had been so busy mulling over my thoughts that I didn't notice Edward trying to get my attention.

'What's wrong, Edward?'

'The teacher wants us to introduce ourselves to the class. Come on.' Edward stood up and took my hand to drag me with him. I could feel the jealous glares of girl's searing the nape of neck. We reached the top of the class and turned to face our classmates. Edward started. 'Hello, my name is Edward Mason and this is my girlfriend, Bella Swan.' What?! What did he just say? He shot me a look that said, 'Just go with it, okay?' and continued. 'We've just moved here from Chicago and are very excited to start our freshmen year of high school here in Portland.'

'Thank you very much for that, Edward and Bella. You may sit down now. Unless any of the students have any questions for you.' She turned to the class as she said this. Several hands shot up.

Mr. Ryan called on one girl and she sneered, 'Is **she** really your girlfriend, Edward?' Now what was that supposed to mean? I thought that I'd answer this particular question. 'Yes, I am actually. The two of us are very happy together as well, thank you.' I put my hand around his waist to emphasise my point. It sent an unexpected shiver through my whole body. Strange. 'Any more questions? No? Okay, Edward and I shall just go and sit down now then.' I dragged Edward back to our seat as he fought a fit of laughter. I sat down and all but pulled him into his own chair. I turned to him and demanded an explanation for the whole 'girlfriend' thing, lesson long forgotten. 'Well, like I said earlier, if they think we're together, they may leave us alone. I might still have to listen to their ridiculous thoughts, but hopefully they'll leave us alone on this plane of consciousness.' I calmed down and agreed, it sounded like a decent enough plan.

The rest of the day and week went pretty much the same. School, with a few people flirting with either Edward or I, unashamedly ignoring the other. We simply politely declined, seeing as how we were 'together'. I don't know why, but it always bothered me greatly when girls threw themselves at Edward, even when he seemed completely uninterested. Oddly enough, it seemed to bother Edward just as much when the human males flirted with me. I was so confused. I couldn't wait until the weekend, when we would start our 'volunteer' work at the hospital.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it. I don't know how good that chap was, let me know. I hope that I kept the attraction between Edward and bella subtle. I want your opinions on something. Carlisle and esme are going to be in this story, I was thinking of introducing them in the next chapter. But I'm not ****sure; would it be better if they were introduced later, so that Edward and bella's relationship could more without interruption? Well, let me know. **

**If I get 30 reviews for this chapter, I'll update by tonight.**

**20: tomorrow**

**10: Monday**

**Keep reviewing!**

**Thanks, **

**Kate.**

**Xxxx**

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**I**

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	5. A Big Surprise!

**Disclaimer: All belongs to SM except plot and unrecognised characters.**

**You're**** probably all thinking something along the lines of 'well finally!' and I don't blame you. It's like 7 days late! I'm so sorry! I got sick and couldn't write for a few days. I've done bits when i've felt up to it, but it's taken a lot longer than usual. Anyway here's the next chap, hope you like it!**

**DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!**

**Okay this is totally random but no matter. I listened to all these songs as I wrote this chap. They're pretty class. I think so anyway.**

**.com/watch?v=PIa0TiSoGnU**

**.com/watch?v=P_i1xk07o4g**

**.com/watch?v=CMT418TyRiA**

**.com/watch?v=sc-w35Z16zg&NR=1**

**.com/watch?v=-vKO55ux_1A**

'**The lady doth protest too much, methinks!' **

**Hamlet, William Shakespeare.**

**(Kinda applies to the chap, if you think about it too much, and if you don't, it's just purely random.)**

BPOV

By the end of the week I couldn't wait for volunteer work at the hospital. Teenage hormones were driving me up the wall. Boys wouldn't leave me alone and girls constantly draped themselves over Edward. If I didn't have to go to school so I could go to college and get a medical degree, I wouldn't even think about going back to school on Monday. Edward seemed to feel similarly.

Since we were posing as freshmen in high school, the only thing we were allowed to do in the hospital was observe. I was awed at the progress technology had made over the years and it never ceased to amaze me how they used this progress to save lives. As the doctors did their jobs, they were kind enough to explain what they were doing. After all, as far as they knew, the only reason we were here was to learn and gain experience.

I was so enraptured by the technology and medicine that I didn't notice as Edward's eyes began to slowly darken. He was sub-consciously lowering into a crouch, ready to attack. Flowing blood and open wounds! What had I been thinking?! He was still a newborn after all. Jack and Sarah had told me that I had an awful lot more willpower than most as a newborn, although even I had been tempted. I had seen the same quality in Edward, but over the years I had become so desensitized to the scent of blood, that I had taken for granted that Edward would be too.

'Excuse us Doctor Smith,' I interrupted the doctor as he was finishing a particularly delicate suture. 'Edward here is feeling slightly poorly, I think I shall take him outside to catch a breath of fresh air.' He waved me off and nodded his consent. I dragged Edward outside and slapped his face hard to get his attention. His eyes immediately lightened and he looked down at me and exclaimed, 'Hey, what was that for?'

'Edward, I thought you had your bloodlust under control. That was way too close!'

'I do Bella, in school everything is fine. The urge is just a dull ache, a slight burn in the back of my throat. But I don't think that I should work in the hospital, at least not for a while. With open wounds and flowing blood, the temptation increases. It's not irresistible, but not worth risking people's lives. I should have said something straight away, I know. But I thought that you would think me weak for it. I'm sorry.' He looked down at his feet in shame and sighed. Poor Edward. He had been carrying around this burden that made him feel weak, and then I gave out to him! I was ashamed of myself. Just look at his face! 'Edward, I'm so proud of you. You're doing so well. But I want you to know something, struggling with your bloodlust does **not** make you weak, okay? Most newborns have absolutely no control and most vampires feed on humans without a second thought. But you don't. You feed on animals instead, because human life is precious. You fight that temptation every day. You don't even get to sleep to get away from it. You are **not** weak, do you hear me?' I looked up into his still reddish eyes **(a/n: newborn) **as I said this. Then I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a hopefully comforting squeeze. It must have worked since he squeezed back and when he pulled away he had a big smile on his face. 'Now you go home and start learning to play that piano like you told me you wanted to, you hear me? I'll be home soon, okay?' I said and pushed him towards the direction of home. 'Okay', he replied and started off in the right direction.

Well, that's one crisis averted at least, I thought to myself. Then I went back inside the hospital to learn more about the way in which modern medicine was used to save lives.

Monday. Again. One word, why? Why, oh why? Why must I suffer hormonal mortals? Although I must say that Edward has it much worse. He has to hear what they're thinking, watch their lascivious fantasies as they play out in their minds. Judging by the expression that never leaves Edward's face whilst in school, cringe-worthy doesn't even begin to describe some of their thoughts.

It was lunchtime when it happened. Edward and I were sitting in the lunchroom picking at our uneaten lunches, in an attempt to look human. We were discussing music and literature at vampire speed as we observed the student body. I was the first to see them approach us. Oh, no. I inwardly groaned. It was Clare and Robert. This was extremely annoying seeing as how these two were the most persistent of our admirers. Edward noticed them and grimaced. Whether it was at their thoughts our just the mere sight of them, it was hard to say.

They continued toward us and sat down at our table as if they owned the place. Clare sent a glare my way and I simply raised an eyebrow in reply. Robert merely sat there staring at me and salivating. Disgusting pig. 'Hello Clare, Robert,' I said. 'What brings you to see Edward and me on this fine day?' Please say you've come to tell us that you've found true love in one another and that you're going to leave the two of us alone! Please, please, please! 'Well Isabella,' she replied in a sickeningly sweet tone of voice. Oh, how I detested my full name, and she knew it too. 'Robert and I have been talking.' Not good. Not good. 'And we've come to a realisation. You and Edward say that you are dating and that you're completely in love, etc, etc. And you reject our advances. Some would think that you weren't interested in us.' Is this really happening? Have this girl and boy really bought our charade and decided to stop deluding themselves into thinking that Edward or I would really give them the time of day. Must not get my hopes up. It could be a trap. 'But we're smarter. We know that you're just playing hard to get.' Then she turned to Edward and continued. 'Edward, I know that it's very intimidating starting at a new school and having such a beautiful girl as myself show an interest in you. But you could do soooo much better! Dump this freak and you can have me.' The audacity of this girl! Really!

Edward tapped his chin and pretended to consider her offer; at least I think he was pretending. He finally spoke. 'That's a very generous offer, Clare.' She smirked in victory. 'But you're wrong, I couldn't do better. So I must decline. So sorry.' He said, not sounding at all sorry. Hah, nice one Edward. I took his hand in mine and squeezed as I smiled up at him. I hadn't really noticed how tall he was before. And his eyes were gradually becoming more golden. I was snapped out of my thoughts as Clare suddenly began speaking again, this time with much more venom in her tone.

'Ugh! You two make me sick. I bet you're not even going out. You don't even kiss or anything. Edward probably just pities you, you're pathetic!' For some reason, that comment stung. She was right, we weren't together. Not for the reason she said, but same result. But why does that bother me so? Idiotic human hormones resurfacing apparently. Suddenly, I felt a pressure on my lips. It was Edward! My lips began to move against his of their own accord. My hands went to his hair by themselves as-well. It was minutes later when we resurfaced. I was pretty sure that I'd felt his tongue. His hands had somehow made their way to my waist. What in god's name was that for? That kiss had sent my un-beating heart aflutter. Butterflies whizzing around my stomach. 'Do you believe us now?' Edward's voice broke through the fog that now engulfed my brain. I came out of my reverie to see Clare's and Robert's shocked faces. Oh, so that's why! Why did that realisation fill me with so much disappointment? Clare just huffed and stomped away. Robert shuffled away looking dejected. Which left us sitting there with the entire lunchroom staring at us with their jaws hanging open. Edward simply turned back to his unappetizing lunch looking nonchalant.

I turned to him to demand an explanation. I was about to begin when he interrupted me. 'The reason I kissed you was that nobody believed we were really together. Like Clare said, all we ever do is hold hands or I put my arm around your waist. They won't believe us if we don't even kiss.'

'Okay. Um, what are they thinking now?' His answer seemed logical. Why did that kiss send such chills through me though? Was it because it was my first? Yeah, that must be it. **(A/n: poor delusional, gullible, naïve Bella)** 'Well, it mainly goes along the lines of 'wow, the prudes Bella and Edward are actually doing something for once', or something to that effect.' He grinned.

'Nice of them', I said sarcastically.

The next few years that we spent in Portland were quite uneventful. We went through the years of High school. As the other students got older, they became more enraptured by our beauty. Clare and Robert never really gave up on their quest for our affections. Others joined them, but of course Edward and I were still pretending to be together and had been for four years as far as they knew. I kept up my volunteer work at the hospital and got more experience as the years went by. Medicine still awed me, as it was ever changing with new experiences. While I helped out at the hospital, Edward played the piano and composed music. He never really returned to the hospital the next day. Medicine still interested him, but he didn't want to take any chances.

We were headed to college, where Edward would study music and I would study medicine. I was extremely excited, even though Edward told me that it would probably be the first of many times, and it would most likely become tedious. He was probably right, but I was still excited. Though after college I was anxious to travel a bit before going back to school again. Maybe settle somewhere remote where there was plenty of large animals to satiate the thirst. We still hadn't figure out why Edward couldn't read my mind, maybe a shield of some sort? It didn't really matter to be honest. His gift had come in extremely handy. It had gotten us large amounts of money which allowed us to purchase our own house.

'Is everything in the car, Edward?' I asked.

'Yes Bella, now can we please go?' I nodded in ascent. We had a long drive to reach Yale.

**Hope you liked the chap!**

**Now, I just know that I'm gonna get reviews telling me that the kiss happened too soon, I thought they weren't gonna fall in love yet etc etc. I just want to clear something up. He did it to prove they were together to Clare. He may have wanted to do it too. But it won't lead to much of anything yet, okay. I'm ashamed to say that Clare's character is based off people I actually know (shudders). There's a bit of Jessica in there as-well of course. Review! 20 reviews and I shall update. To keep you going I shall give you a tiny spoiler. Carlisle and esme, college, Denali coven, Tanyabitch, Edward and bella, jealously and more hormonal teenagers! What shall happen? Especially when Tanya comes into the picture and takes an interest in Edward. What if Edward seems to feel similarly? What about bella? You'll have to wait and see! Mwahahahhahahahahhahahah!: L******

**Xxxx**

**Kate**


	6. The Visitors

**Disclaimer: the great SM owns all except plot. Enjoy!**

**Okay everyone, here's the next chapter. EPOV YEY! It's the kiss yippee! Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Enjoy the chap and don't forget to review this one too!!**

EPOV (the kiss)

Oh, no. It was Robert and Clare, again. _Oh, Bella, soon you shall be mine. Oh what I will do to you when you are mine! I will…_ I cut him off there and did my best to drone out his disgusting fantasies, how I would love to rip his throat out! Unfortunately, once I tuned out Robert's, Clare's rushed right in._ Ooh, Edward that feels soooo good! Oh god, don't stop!_ I quickly blocked her too. Such disgusting thoughts! Oh, I think I'm going to be sick. Why can't they leave me alone with their incessant thoughts?! Oh, Clare was talking. What did she say? She was looking at me expectantly so I carefully looked into her mind. Oh, you've got to be kidding me! 'That's a very generous offer, Clare.' I said. 'But you're wrong, I couldn't do better. So I must decline. So sorry.' I said, not sounding at all sorry.

'Ugh! You two make me sick. I bet you're not even going out. You don't even kiss or anything. Edward probably just pities you, you're pathetic! That made my blood boil, figuratively, of course. Who did this girl think she was? I put my hands on Bella's waist and pressed my lips to hers. I think that I shocked her at first but then she began to move her lips in response to mine. Her hands moved to my hair and I started to feel something bubble up in the pit of my stomach. All too soon, I had to pull away. I looked to Clare and smirked. 'Do you believe us now?' She just huffed and walked away. I shrugged and turned to my unappetizing meal.

I could tell that Bella was about to speak so I began before she could. 'The reason I kissed you was that nobody believed we were really together. Like Clare said, all we ever do is hold hands or I put my arm around your waist. They won't believe us if we don't even kiss.' Was that true, was that the only reason? Really? Truthfully, I did not know.

'Okay. Um, what are they thinking now?'

'Well, it mainly goes along the lines of 'wow, the prudes Bella and Edward are actually doing something for once', or something to that effect.' I grinned at this; some of their thoughts in response to our kiss were quite amusing.

'Nice of them', she said sarcastically. I smiled to myself at that.

BPOV

It seemed that college was destined to be a replay of our four years in high school, only in a larger setting. How tiresome. I was growing impatient with human males. For all they knew, I was 'taken', and they still insisted upon seeking me out. The females were no better. Were there not others that were actually interested in being with these people? Apparently not.

Except for the inconvenience posed by these persistent, hormonal humans, college was great. Our house was nice and cosy. There were enough rooms for us to have a sitting room, a bathroom, a bedroom each, a library and a room specifically for the piano Edward had purchased and his sheet music. One of my favourite pastimes was to listen to Edward as he played while I curled up by the fire with a good book.

There were plenty of animals in the area to keep our thirst at bay. Edward's control had got even better over the years. His thirst for blood had become nothing more than a dull ache.

College classes never ceased to excite me. Call me whatever you like for it, medicine would always interest me immensely. Edward loved his music course, to be able to engulf himself in what he loved. It was the same way I felt about medicine. He loved to play piano most, and to compose his own music.

The years went by, melding into one another. It was one day, like any other, when it happened. When I met...the Cullens.

I was currently in medical school; I had nearly reached the end of my medical education. As medical students, we had to work at the hospital at certain times to learn from experience. Not that I minded in the least of course, this was why I wanted to become a doctor, to study medicine. I wanted to help people, to make up for my inhumanity by saving lives that could have otherwise been lost.

We, the medical, students were practicing simple procedures that were no problem to me with my advanced vampire senses, when our current instructor entered the room. 'Hello, class. I have some news. We have a new doctor in the hospital, Doctor Carlisle Cullen. He shall take over your instruction for the rest of your medical learning career. He is a very talented doctor, and you should show him the same respect you've shown me over our time together.' And with that, Doctor Lawler left the room.

The class erupted into excited chatter, wondering who the new doctor was, spreading rumours and gossip. I, of course, had no interest and continued with my work. Really, were doctors not supposed to be more composed than this? The inane chatter suddenly stopped. The new doctor had apparently arrived. I had been too engrossed in thought to notice his arrival. I looked up and felt my jaw drop. He was beautiful, inhumanly so. He had blonde hair, so fair it was almost white. His skin was so pale, it was almost white. His body and face appeared to be chiselled out of stone. His eyes were a light topaz. And, most importantly, he was a vampire.

I carefully smoothed out my features into a mask of disinterest. I kept up the calm demeanour on the outside while I was panicking inside. Was he a threat? Did he hunt humans? What was he doing here? What should I do? No, he didn't prey on humans; his eyes alone were proof of that. Well, that was a relief. Though he could still be a threat. I endured the remainder of the class. For once I couldn't wait for it to be over.

After what felt like an eternity, the class finally ended. I left the room and stood to one side by the door. Doctor Cullen loitered in the room for more than was strictly necessary, undoubtedly avoiding the inevitable. He eventually came out of the room and walked towards me. 'Hello,' he said, 'As you know, I am Doctor Carlisle Cullen, and what might your name be?'

'I'm Isabella Swan, but please call me Bella.' This conversation was so strained and awkward, as you would expect it to be. It's not exactly like we could go up to each other and say something along the lines of, 'Oh, hey, I noticed that you have no heartbeat and I cant hear or smell any blood coursing through you veins. So you must be a vampire. I thought I'd just come up and tell you that I know you are. It's okay though, because guess what? I am too! Small world, eh?' That'd go down like a house on fire, wouldn't it?

'Well, Bella. It's lovely to meet you. Are you alone?' I knew what he meant. Was I in a coven or alone.

'No, I am with another, Edward.'

'Lovely, well I have to go now. But I and my wife, esme, would love to speak with you and your Edward. Are you free later on?' I agreed to talk to him and his mate. I gave him Edward and my address and told him we'd see him later. He said goodbye and walked off to continue his work in the hospital.

I was done with classes for the day so I left for home so that I could warn Edward about our 'visitors' for the evening. I walked in the door and was met with one of his heavenly melodies drifting from the piano room. I made my way there and quietly entered so as not to disturb him. He finished playing and looked at me quizzically. 'What is wrong Bella? You look troubled.' He approached me with a look of concern on his face.

'Nothing is wrong Edward. I just have something to tell you. Today at the hospital, I met another vampire.' Edward sucked in a breath in shock. 'He wants to talk to us. I invited him and his mate over later. I'm almost certain that they share our diet Edward. I don't think that they are anything to worry about.' But I wasn't certain and Edward could tell, after all our years together. He put a reassuring arm around my shoulders. 'Don't worry Bella. If they are a threat, I'll protect you, okay?' That sent an inexplicable tingle through my spine, which I chose to ignore. 'Thank you, Edward.'

We spent the rest of the afternoon trying to make the time go by faster. I listened to him as he played, but it wasn't in the same fluid, natural way that he normally played. It had an edge of tension to it. His shoulders were tensed. It seemed that he was bracing himself, but for what? Even if the newcomers were a threat, he wouldn't fight them would he? I wanted to avoid that at all costs. Time continued to drag on; I thought that they would never arrive. Then, suddenly, a knock sounded on the front door. Edward's shoulders tensed up even more, that really shouldn't have even been possible. He stood up and I realised something. Edward could be quite formidable when he wished. He wasn't freakishly muscled, but he was well toned and well over six feet. Right now he had a look in his eye that I was extremely glad was not directed at me. He put his arm around me and headed towards the door. He opened it and looked upon the occupants of our front steps.

I instantly felt foolish. How could I ever have been afraid of these people? Fear of the unknown, I guess. But now that I looked at him, Carlisle Cullen had a distinctly fatherly air to him. His wife, Esme, was the epitome of motherhood. She had caramel coloured hair and a kindly face. She was beautiful. Of course, she had the tell-tale eyes of an animal blood drinker, a light shade of topaz. These people were not to be feared. I felt Edward's grip on my waist loosen, but he never let go completely.

He extended a hand to Carlisle who returned the gesture and shook it. 'It is very nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen. I am Edward Masen, and of course, as you already know, this is Bella Swan. Please, come in.' Had his voice always been so velvety? We all went in and sat down in the living room. An awkward silence descended upon the room, what was there to be said, really?

'Well, Edward, Bella, how long have you been here?' I answered him. 'We've been here since we started college. We'll leave next year when I've finished medical school to avoid suspicion. We've stayed here quite long and, as we do not age, people have started to suspect. One more year won't make much difference though. We're thinking of maybe taking a year away from the high school routine. Go somewhere remote, maybe Alaska. For a bit of peace.' I squeezed Edward's hand and smiled. I earned his signature crooked grin in response. Now that I think about it, it was a nice grin, a very nice grin. Whoa, where did that thought come from? I recomposed myself and looked away from Edward to see Carlisle and Esme beaming at us. What the..?

I looked to Edward for an explanation. He was the mind reader after all. However, he just grinned in response. Okay, now that was stating to annoy me. My irritated thoughts were interrupted by Esme's voice. 'Edward, Bella tell us about yourselves.' 'Well,' Edward started, 'I can read minds, except Bella's. And I love to play the piano and compose music.' 'Really, mind-reading, that is a very handy gift, I would guess,' Carlisle said. 'But I wonder why you are unable to read Bella's mind?'

'We guess that it is a type of shield, though we are not overly worried. Do you think that it could harm her?' Edward asked worriedly. 'No, quite the opposite actually.' Carlisle said. 'Oh, good.' Edward sighed in relief. 'And you, Bella?' Esme asked.

'Well,' I responded, 'I love medicine, it awes me. How it has progressed over the centuries since I was human. I become enraptured. I'm in my last year of medical school; I hope that I can become a doctor. But since I was changed at seventeen, it's very hard to look thirty. I've barely got through medical school without rising suspicions. I would have to move a lot to pull it off.'

'Well I think that you have found a kindred spirit in Carlisle.' Esme laughed. We all laughed a bit at that. When the laughter died down, the air became serious again. Esme started again.

'Edward, Bella this may come as a shock to you. You may even be a little offended, but we would love if you would consider our offer. We would love for you two to join our coven. We've always wanted children, and of course, as vampires, cannot have them. We'd love for you to join our family.' Oh my goodness, are they serious? Carlisle spoke quickly, 'Of course, you don't have to answer straight away. We'd like you to seriously consider our offer. Now, we'll leave so you can think it over. Oh, and by the way, you're a lovely couple! It was lovely to meet you.' And then they left.

'Edward, do they think we're together?'

'Yes, they think that we are mates, and well suited mates at that.' He grinned.

'Wow, thanks for the warning', I said sarcastically.

'Well, are we going to set them straight?' I continued.

'I guess we'll have to, if we're going to be living with them. What do you think about their offer?' Edward asked. 'I think that we should seriously consider it.'

'Are you serious, but we don't even know them!'

'Uh, Bella, mind reader, remember? Everything they said was sincere, they are kind at heart, and it would look a lot less odd to the humans for us to have parental figures. Remember how strange they thought us for our lack thereof in Portland?'

We spent the rest of the night engulfed in an in-depth discussion regarding the pros and cons of accepting the Cullens' offer. By the morning, we had reached our decision. We would accept their extremely generous offer. I made my way to the hospital for work and also to inform the kind-hearted doctor of our decision.

**Hope you liked it! Don't for****get to review! 20 and I shall update. Don't forget to check out my twilight story competition.**

**Thanks, **

**Kate**

**Xxxxx**


	7. We accept!

**Disclaimer: the great SM owns all except plot. Enjoy!**

**Hey everyone, next chappie! And before 20 reviews too. Plus ****I've been really sick for the past few days; it would've been up sooner otherwise. It's a bit shorter than usual, but the next chap should be up pretty soon. Anyway read and don't forget to review! **

**Ps like I mentioned in a review of this story (I couldn't be bothered putting up another whole chap for it) anyone who checks out my story comp, and enters or nominates a story, will receive the WHOLE next chap before it is posted here publicly. To be the first to find out what happens in the next chap of 'what if things were different?', get to my story comp and enter/nominate a story!**

**Pps soz bout this but check out the poll on my profile too, it's about whether or not the rest of the Cullens (Emmett, Rosalie, Alice and Jasper) should be vamps in this story. If you think only some, vote for whoever you want. If you want all human, let me know. Vote and let me know. T****he outcome will be based upon the votes. Wow that was a long a/n, sorry!**

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**Xxx**

**Kate**

BPOV

I arrived at the hospital and asked one of the nurses at the front desk if they knew where to find him. They told me he was doing morning rounds and directed me in his general vicinity. When I found him I was a bit unsure of what to say. How should I phrase our acceptance of his offer? Well, I may as well get it over with, I thought to myself. It was going to be awkward whatever way I went around it.

So I squared my shoulders and started towards him. 'Dr Cullen,' I asked. He turned towards me with a hopeful expression on his face. 'Bella, have you and Edward considered Edward and my offer?'

'Yes, Dr Cullen. We were discussing the matter all night long. It is a very generous offer and Edward and I want to stress how grateful we are. We'd love to accept your offer.' His eyes lit up like a little boy's on Christmas morning. He threw his arms around me. 'Bella, thank you soooo much! I'm so happy and esme is going to be just delighted. We have to tell her straight away!'

With that he ran to the nearest phone and dialled what I could only assume was his house number. I told him that I would talk to him later and left to continue my day.

At the end of the day, we agreed that Edward and I would go to his house this evening to discuss our living situation, etc. He gave me the address and I left. I arrived home and told Edward that we had to leave.

We arrived at Esme and Carlisle's house and I gasped in surprise. It was completely beautiful and much bigger than our own. Edward took my hand and dragged me to the front door. This shook me out of my reverie. We rang the doorbell and a millisecond later it was opened by a beaming Esme. 'Come in, come in', she motioned. We followed her into the living room. I was awed at the pure beauty and elegance of their home. Carlisle entered the room and grinned when he saw us sitting there.

He seated himself beside esme. They looked like an advertisement for the perfect couple/parents at that exact moment. It was slightly disconcerting, to be quite honest. The air in the room had a slightly awkward edge to it and the silence continued for a few seconds. Then Carlisle finally took the proverbial plunge. 'So, we all know why we're here. You and Edward have decided to accept our offer to join our family of sorts. You may never know how much this pleases us. As we are vampires, we cannot have children, of course. And I hope that we are not overstepping our boundaries by thinking of you as our adoptive children.' This really should have bothered me somewhat, regardless of what Edward said about their thoughts, we barely knew these people. And they were telling us that they already thought of us as family? Was that not at least slightly strange?

However, against all reasonable thought or concept, I could not bring myself to see these people in anything but good light. In the way they moved, talked, in anything they did, seemed to be nothing except good intentions. They seemed to give off a vibe of positive feeling. One could not help but feel comfortable and secure in their presence. Which was why it did not bother me that they already thought of Edward and I as family. To be honest, I was starting to feel a slight family love for the two of them too.

The thought of the fact that these two people, who were so obviously made to be parents, were unable to bear children was slightly heart-wrenching. I had never really thought about my inability to reproduce before, and now that I did, I felt a bit sad. If I had remained mortal I could've had a little girl or boy of my own. There was no chance of that now. But then I wouldn't have met Edward, I wouldn't have saved him. Over the years he had become my family. Before that it had been Sarah and Jack. I'd never really had a chance to become lonely. I guess that it was a somewhat fair exchange, but I could still ask myself, 'What if things were different?'

As I had been mulling everything over in my head, everyone else had been conversing with each other. I began to tune into what was being said and Edward turned to me with his signature crooked grin. 'So, you're back with us, then?' he asked. I simply looked at him quizzically. He chuckled and turned to Esme and Carlisle who were smiling good-naturedly. 'I told you she was off in her own world. I'm almost certain that she heard nothing we were saying.' He looked questioningly to my confused face. 'See, completely oblivious.' Esme and Carlisle began to laugh, but it was obviously not in spite. So I joined in with their laughter.

We spent the whole night talking and laughing together. Getting to know one another and figuring out the situation regarding living conditions. We decided in the end that Edward and I would stay in our house until I finished medical school, then we would definitely have to move. Edward and I had been here so long already, we were undoubtedly starting to seriously raise suspicions. With all the talking we'd done, you'd have thought that we would have gotten the chance to set them straight on the

fact that Edward and I were **not **mates, but oddly enough, we didn't.

The next year went by extremely quickly, what is a mere year to an immortal, as I finished medical school. Before we knew it, Edward and I were packing up our belongings and saying goodbye to our cosy, little house. I would miss it terribly. Esme and Carlisle told us that they knew of another vegetarian coven in Alaska. We agreed that it was the perfect place to go. It was rainy with very little sunshine, so we wouldn't have to stay inside too often. It was also quite out of the way, so we would be able to stay there longer than most places. A nice break from constantly pretending to be something we weren't, and a chance to just….be. Although I would of course miss the chance to help people every day. Perhaps there was a hospital nearby that I could volunteer at on occasion, I mused.

We arrived in Alaska and headed first to the house in which we would be living. It was slightly smaller than the last one Esme and Carlisle had owned, but none less grand. Edward and I each had our own rooms, with many to spare. We unpacked at vampire speed and decided to leave to visit the Denali coven.

We reached their home quickly. Esme and Carlisle greeted their friends and began to introduce us to them. There was Irina, Kate, Eleazer, Tanya, Carmen and Garrett. Irina was a vampire with chin length silvery blonde hair and golden eyes. Kate was 5'4'', had blonde, straight hair and golden eyes. She had the ability to generate an electrical current on her skin. She was also Garrett's mate. Garrett was a tall, rangy vampire with eager golden eyes and long sandy hair tied back in a ponytail, with a leather thong. **(An: I know they only became mates in breaking dawn but I'm changing some things to fit in with my story. Just to clear that up. Thanks!)**

Eleazer was a tall, dark-haired man with "a hint of an olive tone in his chalky complexion". His gift was to identify vampire's abilities. He was also Carmen's mate. Carmen was black-haired with a hint of an olive tone to her chalky complexion. Tanya was a strawberry blond curly haired girl about 17 or 18. I didn't exactly care for the way she was looking at Edward. As far as she knew, he was my mate!

Edward seemed extremely uncomfortable under her gaze; I could only imagine what she was thinking. I cleared my throat and introduced myself and Edward. 'Hello, everyone,' I said, 'Thank you for being so welcoming. My name is Bella Swan and this is Edward Masen. Edward can read minds,' I looked at Tanya pointedly as I said this. She didn't even have the grace to look embarrassed. Maybe she wasn't intelligent enough to understand the implications of that fact. Or maybe she was so vain that she thought Edward would be flattered by her crude thoughts. 'And I possess a mental shield that stops mental powers from affecting me.' A few gasped at this, apparently it was quite rare.

'So,' Tanya said slyly. 'Edward, are you and Bella mates then?' The little minx! The nerve of her! The audacity! I had known this woman for less than five minutes, hadn't had an actual conversation with her, and I already knew that I disliked her.

I was about to answer her when Edward interrupted me.

'Well', he began….

**Cliffy****! I know, I'm cruel! Old news people. Will Edward say yes? Will he say no? Only one way to find out! Let me know what you want him to say in a review! L********. Can't even tell you how glad I am that you can't kill me over the internet! I'm sure I'll get many volturi threats in reviews, ah well! Anyway, check out my comp, enter/nominate and you'll get the chap! Or. 20 reviews and you'll get the chap! ******

**Thanks!**

**Kate**

**Xxxxx**


	8. The Denali Coven

**Disclaimer: the great SM owns all except plot. Enjoy!**

**Next chap Yey!**

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BPOV

'Well', he began….

'Well', Edward began. I waited with bated breath as he began his answer. Why was I so anxious to hear his answer? What did I even **want **his answer to be? To be quite honest, I did not know. If he said yes, what did that mean? Is that what I wanted? If he said no, did that mean he was actually interested in Tanya? Would that bother me? Why was I so confused?!

All this had gone through my head in a matter of seconds, although the time it took for Edward felt like an eternity. 'Well,' he said again. Oh, come on Edward, just answer the question already! 'Yes, Tanya, yes we are.' And he put his arm around my waist to prove it. Well, that was quite the anti-climax. What was I thinking, that his answer would answer my own confusing questions? Well, if I had, I was doomed to be disappointed. I was still completely and utterly confused! Although I must admit that I relished the look of dismay that passed over Tanya's face upon hearing Edward's answer. I had to restrain myself from sticking my tongue out at her like a five year old.

I suddenly felt Edward's lips against my ear. What the..? 'I'm sorry if you wanted me to say no, Bella. It was just what Tanya was going to do if I said no. Her thoughts were …..terrifying, in all honesty.' He whispered too low and fast for the rest of the vampires to hear. 'It's okay, Edward.' I replied. 'I don't mind.' And why was that? Why didn't I mind? Oh, my god! What was wrong with me? Stupid, incessant, human hormones resurfacing!

The rest of the day passed by quite quickly, with the occasional death glare sent my way by Tanya. I have decided that I greatly disliked her. I discussed my mental shield in great-depth with Eleazer and he seemed to think that it might be possible to push my shield away from me and maybe even onto others. I was eager to try this and wondered if Edward would be willing to attempt it when we got home. The whole Denali coven, except Tanya, seemed to be very nice and hospitable. Even though we'd told her we were mates, Tanya seemed to be determined to flirt incessantly with Edward. What a whore!

I had been discussing Kate's power with her. I found it extremely interesting and was extremely grateful that she was willing to explain it to me completely. It had gotten quite late and Carlisle and Esme wanted to leave to settle in the new house. I'm sure that by 'settle in' they meant something else. However, seeing as how they were now, for all intents and purposes, my parental figures, that particular subject did not bare thinking about. Not that it would no matter who they were.

Anyway, Carlisle asked me where Edward was and I realised that I did not actually know. I quickly scanned the room, failed to see Tanya, and had a good idea of where Edward might be. She was truly evil. I decided that I would have to deal with this particular wanton woman for good. I excused myself from the room, took a deep breath, squared my shoulders, and set off to find the woman who was attempting to seduce my supposed mate.

I searched the house, and after a few rooms, I heard muffled sounds coming from one particular room a few feet away. This seemed promising. I made my way to the door and pressed my ear up against it. Yep, Edward's voice and that same sickly sweet and slimy tone that was otherwise known as Tanya's voice. 'Come on Edward, you know you want to. Forget Bella, I'll be soooo much better for you.' Who in god's name did this woman think she was?! I restrained myself from barging in there until I heard Edward's answer. I wanted to know whether or not he would accept her offer. 'I'm sorry, Tanya. But I cannot do that. You see, I love bella, and I could never do better.' I faltered for a moment. What? Did he mean that or was it just to get Tanya to leave him alone? What am I thinking? Of course it was the latter. I was just glad he had not accepted her offer. **That** would have been an awkward situation to interrupt. I regained my composure and opened the door.

The first thing that I saw was a surprised and embarrassed looking Edward on the other side of the door. I gave him a reassuring smile and motioned for him to exit the room. He looked relieved that I realised that the situation was completely out of his control. I pressed my lips lightly to his in a chaste kiss, to keep up the charade, of course. 'Go on, Edward. I'll be down in a moment.' I told him. He looked momentarily worried, but then shook it off. 'Of course, love.' He replied. Wait, when did he start calling me love? 'Don't hurt her too much.' He whispered, and then left. That made me laugh slightly. Of course I wouldn't hurt her…..much.

I closed the door and turned to Tanya. She looked like a mouse that had just been cornered by a cat. I grinned at her, and relished the opportunity to watch her tremble in fear. 'Wha-wha-what are you go-going to do to me?' she stuttered. I bared my teeth at her which caused her to open her mouth and attempt a scream. I moved faster than the eye could see and before any sound could come out of her mouth, I had her pressed up against the wall. My knee was pressed painfully into her back and I had her arm twisted at such an angle that if she were human, I would have torn it off. I squashed her face into the wall and tightened my grip on her so that she was in as much discomfort and hopefully pain as possible.

'So, Tanya. I heard the tale end of your charming little conversation with my mate. But don't worry; even though I didn't hear all of it, I got the general gist. You don't think I'm good enough for Edward, you think that you'd be much better for him; you think it's acceptable to seduce a man with a mate; you're a despicable individual, etc. And I know that you fancy yourself as everyman's dream woman and think that any male would fall at your feet at a second's notice.' Up until now, I had spoken in a falsely cheerful tone. Then my tone became menacing. 'But if you ever, ever so much as think about Edward in that way again, I'll rip your head off then tear you limb from limb as you watch. Then I'll make you watch as I burn the pieces. Are we clear?' I growled. Her body began to wrack as she dry-sobbed against the wall. 'I'm sorry, I'm so so so sorry! I promise that I'll never do it again! Just, please don't hurt me!' she cried.

I smirked and tightened my grip on her for a moment, just to prove that I could. She whimpered pathetically and I dropped her onto the ground in a quivering heap. She lay there for two seconds then chose to take this opportunity to get away. She clambered up and scrambled out the room in a very ungraceful, unvampire-like manner.

I made my way to the main room where Edward, Carlisle and esme were waiting for me. Edward smiled at me and took my arm gently. We said our goodbyes and thanked everyone for having us. I looked at Tanya pointedly and said, 'Goodbye, Tanya.' I wiggled my fingers at her as she cowered in fear. I resisted the urge to laugh out loud, as I felt Edward shaking beside me I realised that he was having the exact same problem.

Edward waited until we reached our house and went upstairs to my room to ask. 'What did you do to her?' though he sounded more amused than angry. 'Well,' I replied, 'Let's just say that I gave her high incentive to leave you alone, if you know what I mean? Anyway, I was speaking with Eleazer and we discussed my mental shield. He seems to think that it may be possible for me to push my shield away from myself or even use it to make others invulnerable to mental abilities as well as myself. I was wondering if I could try to push it away from myself tonight and you could help me by seeing if it makes my mind any less silent to you. Would you mind?' I bit my lip as I waited for his response. Maybe he wanted to spend his night playing the piano or reading, aka, not with me. 'Of course I don't mind, Bella. I'd love to help.'

We spent the whole night trying to push my shield away from myself. It felt similar to stretching a rubber band. I kept tugging on it over and over again, but I could never seem to pull it far enough to let Edward hear my thoughts. It felt just out of reach and I just couldn't seem to reach it. It frustrated me to no end and mentally drained me. By the morning I was extremely exhausted. I didn't really believe that we made any real progress, but Edward seemed to disagree. He said that we had figured out the method of how to do so, and had begun to try. He said that was half the work. I guess he had a point. As long as we kept at it, we'd accomplish the end result soon enough. All that was needed was a little patience.

The day after we visited the Denali's, Edward and I decided that it would be best to set Esme and Carlisle straight as soon as possible. So we went down to the living room where they were sitting simply conversing with one another and enjoying each other's company. When they noticed us enter, they beamed at us with parental love. 'Carlisle, Esme, Edward and I have something to admit', I began. 'Yesterday, at the Denali's, Edward lied, we are not mates. We hope that you are not disappointed with us for lying. Tanya's thoughts were making Edward….uncomfortable. Please don't tell her we lied.' I pleaded. Esme and Carlisle looked thoughtful. 'We're not angry', Carlisle replied. 'And we understand why Tanya's thoughts may make Edward uncomfortable. She ahem _likes_ men very much so. Thank you for telling us the truth and not feeling that you have to lie to us. Of course we won't inform the Denali's of the truth. Your secret is safe with us, I can assure you.' They smiled at us reassuringly and I sighed in relief. I threw my arms around Carlisle's neck in gratitude and exclaimed, 'Thank you, Carlisle. So much.'

I let go and went to exit the room, Edward took me by the waist and was leading me out the door when Carlisle said, 'Oh, Edward, Bella, you won't have to act too much to convince the Denali's you were telling the truth. You had Esme and I completely fooled.' He chuckled. If I were still human, I would be blushing fifty shades of scarlet right now.

Over the next few weeks, Edward and I began to fall into a routine of sorts. We would hunt, read, he would play the piano as I listened, and we would talk about anything and everything during the day. At night we would work on pushing my shield away from myself. We were starting to make some real progress, Edward would sometimes hear snippets of my thoughts, but as soon as he heard them I was under so much strain from pushing it out that it snapped straight back into place. It was extremely draining, but we kept at it, because if I could learn to push it away, I would be able to learn to stretch it over others as well as myself. Edward was extremely patient, for which I would be forever grateful.

The weeks turned to months and the months turned to years. After fifteen years we still hadn't left Alaska, it was peaceful and remote. The fact that we did not age was not a problem here, hardly anyone lived here. There were plenty of animals to feed upon. We could entertain ourselves simply by talking, reading or listening to Edward play. He had gotten extremely good over the years; he had composed many of his own songs, including one he dedicated to me. He called it 'Bella's lullaby.' It was extremely beautiful. Every time I heard it, I felt like crying at the sheer beauty of the melody.

Of course we still worked hard at pushing away my shield. It was still difficult, but I could do it almost perfectly now. We had started to attempt projecting it onto others, but I needed to work at it a bit more. No worries, though, we'd soon get it. Edward and I became closer friends with every passing day, but never became mates, something that never ceased to confound Carlisle and Esme. Of course, we had to keep up the act for Tanya, when we saw her, which was rarely enough. She tended to keep her distance, smart girl.

It was a day like any other when they came. An empath and an over-enthusiastic physic pixie that went by the names of Jasper and Alice. The doorbell rang and I got up to answer it, but Edward beat me there. He saw that it was another two vampires and crouched protectively in front of me, in case they were a threat. For goodness sake Edward, I can protect myself!

The pixie like girl simply raised a questioning eyebrow at him and turned to me. 'Hello, Bella.' Wait, how did she know my name? What was going on? 'I'm Alice, and this is my mate, Jasper.' He smiled shyly and nodded his head in acknowledgement. 'And we're your new brother and sister!!!' She exclaimed in excitement. 'Oh, and by the way, Edward and bella, you two should just get together already; stop trying to put off the inevitable!' Why was everyone so sure Edward and I should be together? She didn't even know me, for crying out loud! Edward and I simply stood there gaping at them. She spotted Esme and Carlisle and bounded over to them. 'Hello, I'm Alice, your new daughter, and that's Jasper, your new son!'

**Ah, you gotta love Alice! Blunt as a stump! ********Well, there's a nice treat for you! Good and long. I know that bella was a bit OOC but anyway. I wanted to have a good Tanya bashing. Don't like her, don't know why, just don't. **

**Anyway if you're reading this when it's posted publicly, review! 20 and I shall update. If you got it sent privately to you before it was posted publicly, lucky you! PM and let me know what you think. The challenge I posted in the last chap for chapter nine (to write your own version of it) applies to chapter 10 too. If you're interested, write your own version of chapter 10, what you think will happen next, or would like to happen. Just mention that it was based off my story, if you don't mind. PM me the link and I'll read it. The best one could be posted with my version of chapter 10. I only got one for chap 9, hopefully I'll get more. Then I can pick the best and post it. Don't forget to check out my story comp, if you enter/nominate a story, you shall receive chap 10 before it is publicly posted here. **

**Thanks, **

**Kate.**

**Xxxx**


	9. Jasper and Alice

**DISCLAIMER: twilight belongs to the great SM. Wuthering heights belongs to charlotte Bronte. **

**Ok I know I've been neglecting updates, and I'm not going to insult your intelligence by making up some stupid excuse, so I'm sorry. This is the next chap. It's late here, I;m tired, and as soon as I've posted this, I'm going to bed. I didn't sleep well last night and I just can't seem to shake this bug I've gotten. Normally, this is where I'd try, and fail, to be funny but, like I said, I'm tired. So, enjoy!**

**Ps Bella is a bit OOC, just a warning. oh and review!  
**

BPOV

Edward, Carlisle, Esme and I simply stared at the newcomers in astonishment. What in the name of the good lord was going on? The small and exuberant one, Alice, I think, had bounded in like a pixie hopped up on sugar. She was currently jumping around the room hopping up and down in excitement. Jasper, I think that's his name, simply looked on in faint amusement. Again, what in heaven was going on?

I was the first to come out of my reverie. I started to approach Alice but Edward's arm stopped me. I gave him a disparaging look and he dropped it but insisted upon accompanying me to the strange, pixie-like, vampire girl. I reached her and cleared my throat noisily. 'Um, excuse me, Alice, is it?'

'Yes!!' she exclaimed in response. She was starting to annoy me and I had to grit my teeth in order to keep my temper in check.

'Would you care to explain why you're here?' I questioned as politely as I could muster. She seemed to deflate somewhat at my question.

'Oh, yes. That's right, you don't know.' Could she be any more vague?

'What don't we know?' I asked, annoyed now.

'Well,' she began, 'You see, I'm psychic, I can see the future.'

Alice spent the entire afternoon telling all of us how when she awoke as a vampire, she was all alone, except for her visions of course. She told us of how she had seen Jasper first and went on to find him. Then when she found him, and he had fallen in love with her, she began to see visions of us. It was quite unnerving how she knew all about us, but as I got to know her more, I realised that it was unintentional. She didn't realise that she was making us a bit uncomfortable. In her mind, we already knew each and it was completely natural for her to speak with us as if she had known us forever.

She explained how her visions had shown where we were and our pasts and future exploits. She would not, unfortunately, elaborate on that, as the future was subject to change. She did mention two people named Emmett and Rosalie, but it seemed that it was simply a slip of the tongue, and she refused to continue the subject.

Alice spent the whole day and night explaining everything and giving us the opportunity to get to know her and jasper, as, due to her gift, they already knew everything about us. I began to grow fond of her as she spoke and I knew that Esme, Carlisle and Edward felt similarly. She explained all about her power as a psychic and Jasper's, he was an empath. He could sense and manipulate other's emotions. Maybe that was why we were so accepting of them, I mused. Though I doubted it, they were impossible not to accept. I really did begin to think of them as a brother and sister.

Unsurprisingly, Esme and Carlisle had accepted Alice and Jasper with open arms. This was no surprise to us or Alice, of course. We had learnt not to bet against Alice. On the second week of Jasper and Alice living with us, Tanya, how I detest her, had stopped by for a 'visit'. This in itself was odd. Ever since that faithful day over fifteen years ago, she had avoided our home at all costs. I knew she was up to something, I could see it in her eyes. The girl had real nerve. Alice warned me to keep an eye on her and I was only too happy to oblige. However, I began conversing with Jasper and began so immersed in the topic that I did not notice the absence of both Edward and Tanya. But when I did, let me tell you, I was mad. I knew that the conniving little slut had been biding her time for the last decade and a half, for what is that to an immortal? To lull me into a false sense of security. Or even give me time to put it to the back of my mind. Apparently the little skank forgot what I had told her, those years ago. When I found her, I **would **tear her limb from limb and, if I was not restrained in time, I would burn the pieces. I doubted this however; I would of course be interrupted before I got the chance. She would of course be able to put herself back together, though it would not be pleasant. Good. But it would be extremely satisfying to tear her apart slowly and agonisingly. To watch as her face contorted in pain. I would not stand idly by while the likes of _Tanya Denali_, I thought her name in distaste, thought that all she need don in life to get what she wanted was click her fingers. Yes, I grinned, I would enjoy this.

Before I left the room I saw Alice send me a warning look that basically said, _don't kill her!_ Stupid psychic! Finding them was easy enough. All I had to do was follow the sound of the Scarlett woman's nasally voice. 'Come on Edward. She'll never know.' Whoa, déjà vu! Edward's discomfort was palpable. 'No thank you Tanya, I am very happy with Bella. Now please allow me to leave.' Then I barged through the door, eyes blazing. No doubt, I resembled an axe-wielding, homicidal maniac. To be quite honest, I couldn't care less. Tanya looked to see who interrupted with an annoyed expression on her face. When se saw that it was in fact me, her annoyance turned to pure, unadulterated terror. Like I said before, I was going to enjoy this. 'Edward, leave.' I ordered in a voice quite unlike my own. Even he looked fearful and simply nodded before exiting the room. I watched him go before I turned back to Tanya.

'You!' I growled. 'What did I tell you?!' I roared. The spineless wimp simply cowered and shrunk into the wall. I knew that I would receive no answer from her so I answered for her. 'I told you to leave him alone, or I would tear you limb from limb, did I not? Are you short of hearing? Unintelligent? Slow in the mind? No? If not, why did you not listen to me?!' The only reply I received was her pathetic whimpering as she rocked back and forward. 'Stand up you coward.' I growled. She did so, slowly.

As soon as she was upright, I grabbed her by the arms and began to pull on her right arm. I pulled so hard that it snapped off cleanly in my hand. I relished in the snapping sound and her agonised cries. I continued to snap off limbs as slowly as possible. The sound of her breaking bones and snapping skin was music to my ears. She attempted to fight me back, but it was pitiful, really. She tried to scratch and bite me. I mean, really, what was she... a cat? I continued until the only thing still attached was her head. I made quick work of that also and added it to the quivering limbs. She would be okay, she could reattach herself, but it would be verry painful. Maybe that would teach her, Edward was **mine**, and mine alone! Wait, what?! No, it was to teach her a lesson, that she could not always get what she wanted at the click of her fingers like she thought. Even my subconscious was betraying me!

Alice chose that precise moment to stick her head in, took one look at the heap that was Tanya and said one word. 'Enough.' I agreed. An agonised moan from the floor filled the room. Tanya had begun to reattach herself. This would not be pretty to either the eyes or the ears. Alice and I decided that leaving the room was the best option. We went back downstairs and Alice immediately began to snuggle into Jasper. How I wished that I had that. My gaze travelled over to Edward of its own accord. Maybe, maybe everyone was right. Maybe we should be together. I shook myself, what was I thinking. Edward was my best friend. He had been since I changed him. Besides I was too plain for him. He was gorgeous, and even as a vampire, I was tragically average. I felt a wave of depression come over me; Jasper sent me a quizzical look. Damn house of gifted vampires. Were there no secrets? Oh, well at least Edward could not read my mind.

I decided that the best idea was to go to my room and, hopefully, read. I excused myself and when Edward looked at me concernedly, I simply said that I had things to think over. He agreed, if reluctantly. Everyone knew by now of the Tanya incident, but was not overly worried; she could fix herself after-all. However I knew that Carlisle and Esme were quite disappointed in me. They were extremely gentle creatures, after-all. I felt so sorry for Jasper. My mind was a whirlwind of emotions. Guilt, confusion, depression, grief, embarrassment, the list went on. Did Edward think that my reaction to Tanya was over the top? Did he feel affection for her? Did he guess how I felt? How did I feel!? When I reached the solitude of my room I dived for my worn and familiar copy of 'Wuthering heights.' I had read it so many time that I knew it off by heart, but it was more so a calming mechanism than anything else. I started the first page and sighed in relief as I began to calm down.

_I have just returned from a visit to my landlord--the solitary_

_neighbour that I shall be troubled with. This is certainly a beautiful_

_country! In all England, I do not believe that I could have fixed on a_

_situation so completely removed from the stir of society. A perfect_

_misanthropist's heaven: and Mr. Heathcliff and I are such a suitable pair_

_to divide the desolation between us. A capital fellow! He little_

_imagined how my heart warmed towards him when I beheld his black eyes_

_withdraw so suspiciously under their brows, as I rode up, and when his_

_fingers sheltered themselves, with a jealous resolution, still further in_

_his waistcoat, as I announced my name._

I continued to read and finished the book numerous times throughout the night.

The next morning, I came out of my room just as Tanya was crawling out from the room I had left her in. So she had reattached herself then, I hope it hurt, a lot. She threw me a dirty look and I bared my teeth at her in response. She whimpered and continued to crawl pathetically away.

I went to find Edward and ask him if he wished to join me as I hunted. I also invited Jasper and Alice. Jasper was relatively new to this way of life and needed as much practice as possible. Edward and I favoured the mountain lion, while Jasper preferred the grizzly bear. Alice seemed satisfied with a mere few deer, though I was not inherently surprised; she **was** incredibly small and pixie-like. We finished hunting and returned to the house in a pleasant mood. All thoughts of uncomfortable matters were pushed to the back of my mind.

We entered the living room and immediately knew that Esme and Carlisle had something important to tell us.

We waited anxiously for them to begin. Well, except for Edward, and Alice. Well, I guess it was just Jasper and I then, but you get the point. Carlisle finally spoke, 'Children, we are moving again. It is time to rejoin society. You shall enrol at high school and I shall work at the local hospital. We leave for Forks, Washington, in the morning.'

High school, again. Yippee! (Insert sarcasm here.)

**Well? Like it, hate it? Indifferent about the whole thing? Hopefully not that one. review! I hope you enjoyed the long-overdue update. Over the next six days, I'll do my best to update as much as possible. After that it's anyones guess. Sorry. Now I'm going to sleep. Slan leat agus go raibh maith agat. (Goodbye and thank you.)**

**Kate**

**Xxxxx**

**zzzzzzzz**


	10. Back in Forks

**Hey, ****everyone updates a bit late. I know. Sorry. Anyway, I badly sprained my ankle and I'm not at school today, so I'm able to write this. I can barely walk on it. Stupid PE! No matter, someone mentioned in a review that I had some things wrong, the time of the introduction of Alice and jasper, etc. Thank you for the help. But I've mentioned this before. I'm changing some things to better fit in with the story. Some things will be different, but I've changed them on purpose, okay? Enjoy the chap.**

**Disclaimer: twilight belongs to SM. I swear. Edward told me himself. And who wouldn't believe Edward? Don't say you wouldn't, because if you did, you'd be …… A LIAR! A LIAR I TELL YOU!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm not nuts, I swear it, I just have a very, um, unique, yeah that's it, personality. (Same as last time I know, but I've been typing for ages and couldn't be bothered to type another one.)**

**Ooh I so recommend this song can't stop listening to it: **

**.com/watch?v=WgBeu3FVi60**

BPOV

When we arrived in forks, it was raining. No surprises there. It's not exactly as if we, as vampires, can live in sun traps. Though I do miss the sensation of the sun's rays on my face. But I doubt that it was completely worth exposing us for what we really were. Yeah, not so much.

The house, of course, was beautiful and grand. As if I would expect anything less of Esme. When everything was unpacked, it was time to go and enrol in high school. Here we go again, I thought to myself. Alice of course was nothing less than a little ball of energy and enthusiasm. Damn pixie. I wondered how positive she would be after all the girls had begun throwing themselves at Jasper, pretending that she didn't exist. The thought made me happy in a strange way. Maybe this was going to be fun after all. I would finally have someone with whom to share my pain. Stupid, vapid girls falling all over **my** Edward. Maybe we could plan revenge on them together. Wait, WHAT? What did I just think? Edward wasn't mine. He was just my best friend. Wasn't he?

So we arrived at the local high school, entered the office and saw that it was a female receptionist. Great, I thought to myself. It actually surprised me that even my thoughts could be dripping with sarcasm. Anyway, I knew that there was going to be trouble. She, of course, looked up. Saw jasper and Edward and gawked at them with stars in her eyes. Which was disgusting, seeing as how she was old enough to be our mother, or the mother of someone the age which we looked. I think. Oh, it doesn't matter! I wouldn't have her looking at Edward like that! What? What in goodness's name was wrong with me!?

Alice didn't seem to particularly appreciate the way she was gazing at jasper, if the way she latched herself onto his arm was any indication. Edward cleared his throat, loudly. I wouldn't imagine that her thoughts were all that pleasant either, to be honest. 'Hello,' he began politely. She gazed at him with a star struck expression. I decided that I did not like her very much. 'My name is Edward mason. This is my sister, Alice mason. And this is my girlfriend, Bella Whitlock and her brother Jasper Whitlock.' We would like to register.' The receptionist seemed to deflate slightly when she heard that Edward was 'taken'. Not completely though, seeing as how she continued to flutter her eyelashes at him. Correction, I didn't just dislike her, I hated her with a passion.

'Here are the necessary papers for you to fill out,' she said as she handed them to Edward with a flirtatious smile. I glared at her. Jasper looked at me in surprise. Oh, shit, empath! Right, I forgot. Simmer down, bella, I told myself. Simmer down. It's not like he'd even be interested in her anyway. It doesn't matter! Stupid brain!

As the two conflicting sides of my brain argued with one another, the others sorted out the necessary paper-work and we were finally allowed to leave. We got home and Edward suggested that we hunt, to keep up our strength. For this I was grateful, it would help me clear my head. We didn't have to go far, but the fresh animal blood was all I needed to clear the fog that had seemed to encase my mind over the last few days. I was able to spend the rest of the day doing normal things, such as listening to Edward playing the piano, talking with Edward and reading books.

The next morning, Alice insisted upon dressing me for the first day of school. And Edward, and jasper, and of course herself. It seemed that she was quite the fashion deviant. Fashion had changed considerably over the years since I had been technically alive. As was to be expected. Though I hadn't noticed just quite how much it had changed. I'd never really taken that much of an interest in fashion, even n my human life. The 1960's had just began and it seemed that it was to be all about short dresses in kaleidoscopes of colour and hair in tight buns. Strange.

We arrived at school to the gasps that were now to be expected. How I wished that we could simply fade into the background. Of course, forks was an extremely small town so there was even less chance of that than there might have been in a larger area. We were, to put it bluntly, screwed.

First lesson, indicator of the days and years to come. I was sat next to a snivelling man-boy with greasy hair, whose thoughts had Edward's fists curling in fury. Here we go again, I thought. He extended his filthy hand towards me and said in a not yet broken voice, 'Hello, my name is Paul.' He looked me up and down hungrily. I repressed the urge to gag. 'I'm bella,' I said shortly, in a voice that said, I'm not interested. I hoped to god that he would take the hint. It seemed that these human males were mostly extremely dim. Strangely enough, he did seem to take it. The hint, I mean. If the fact that he left me alone for the rest of the class and didn't bother me for the rest of the day was any indication.

Attending high school is tiresome. When the teachers are wrong and you correct them, they become indignant. When the students try to catch your attention, and you ignore them, they accuse you of being 'stuck up'. By the end of the day, I was mentally exhausted. We all were. Even Alice seemed to have lost some of her enthusiasm. I felt extremely sympathetic towards Edward and jasper. Edward had to listen to their thoughts and jasper had to feel their emotions. I could not, for the life of me, decide which was worse to be quite honest.

We were all simply sitting in the living room when it happened. Alice suddenly stiffened and her eyes went blank. I had come to recognise this as her 'vision' face. She was having a vision. She was out of it for many minutes. Jasper was becoming frantic. I was worried for my friend. Finally, after half an hour, she came back to us. When she did, her eyes had lit up like a child's on Christmas morning. She bounced around the room cheering and laughing. 'I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!' she chanted incessantly. Alice could be VERY annoying when she wanted to. 'What is it Alice?' jasper asked calmly. He put up a good façade. 'What did you see?' Alice glanced around the room and seemed to realise for the first time that there were others in the room. Then she clamped her mouth shut as tightly as possible. Well, I thought to myself, that's a first.

We continued to attempt to force Alice to tell us what she saw, but she refused every time. She blocked her mind to Edward and even refused to tell jasper, her mate. He didn't show it, but I knew that this hurt him. Edward was completely frustrated. Whenever he was around, she simply thought about things that would make him get out of her mind as fast as physically possible. Such as her and jasper's private life. She never once slipped up. Stupid, smart, intelligent, sly pixie! (Note to self: use fewer adjectives).

Over the next few weeks, Alice became more and more unbearably exuberant and enthusiastic. What had happened in her vision?! It was made even more annoying due to the fact that the rest of us were pretty much miserable. We were forced to act like teenage humans. We had to endure their pathetic attempts at flirting. Of course, Edward and I were again pretending to be 'dating'. Although, apparently, we were not that great actors. People again began to question the legitimacy of our story, due to the fact that we never kissed, hardly touched etc, etc. Humans were tiresome and petty.

Alice promised me that she would help me with my predicament soon, very soon. That's a direct quote. What does that even mean, 'soon, very soon'. It's so....ominous. It had something to do with the vision she had weeks previously. I knew it did. I just knew it. What was her vision? I needed to know! The only thing that was keeping me sane was my volunteer work at the hospital.

Life in forks was monotonous, to say the least. Every day was the same. Nothing ever changed. Alice was as cheerful as ever. It was beginning to get on even jasper's nerves.

One day, we arrived at forks high school, and Alice seemed even more excited than usual. I was unaware that this was possible, but I guess it was. I have no idea why she was so excited; forks high school wasn't exactly the most fun place on earth. We all went to our first class of the day. By some strange stroke of luck, this was a day when all four of us had the same first class. We sat down, Edward and I together and Alice and jasper behind us. There was nothing inherently strange about this particular day. I daresay it was just like every other day we had spent here. But no, something was different, and it had something to do with Alice's vision.

The children around us were buzzing about some newcomers. I rolled my eyes. Good god, these humans were easily amused were they not? The teacher began to speak. I focused my attention upon him. Maybe, by some stroke of luck, he would have something interesting to say. Though it was doubtful.

'Class', he began 'Settle down, I have some exciting news. We shall be welcoming two new students into this class this morning. I trust that you will treat them with respect and courtesy.' Good luck with that sir. You'll need it.

As soon as he finished speaking, the door opened and Alice squealed, she actually squealed. In walked a teenage boy, if you could actually call him that, which I sincerely doubted. The word boy did not do him justice, he was huge. He was extremely tall and his body rippled with muscles. His head was covered in brown curls and he had an extremely goofy grin on his friendly face. He somewhat reminded me of a cuddly teddy bear. A very big teddy bear. A girl had walked in behind him and I turned my attention towards her. She was beautiful. Model beautiful. More so. She had long blonde hair, a slender figure and perfect skin. Between the two of them they had the entire class salivating. I felt extremely sorry for jasper and Edward. I looked at both of them sympathetically. Edward looked completely nauseated, whereas jasper was looking at Alice with hooded eyelids. I guess that I couldn't really blame him. He was probably drowning in lust, not that it made it any less sickening. Suffice it to say, I was pretty sure that neither Alice nor jasper would make it to their next class. My attention was brought back to the newcomers. The mammoth-like male had begun to speak. My interest in them was not sparked by their god-like good looks. Not in the least. It was because… they were vampires.

**Well, there you have it. I've just finished it. I was hoping to have it posted by Saturday but**** at least it's up now, eh? Hope you like it. It was a bit longer than usual. I've gotten 126 reviews. Not bad. Anyway, I was thinking that as a thank-you, if I get up to 150 reviews, I'll give you all a special treat. Whether it's a whole chapter in EPOV or an extra long chapter etc. Leave you idea in a review and I'll get right on it. Whichever thing is most wanted will be done, okay?**

**I'll update ****ASAP. I might be able to tomorrow, but it's iffy. **

**Hope you enjoyed the chap and keep reading. Because I'm so nice I'm going to give you a sneak peek of the next chapter:**

**BPOV**

The big one, the male, had a booming voice that filled the room. 'Hello,' he said, 'My name is Emmett McCarthy and this is my girlfriend Rosalie hale.' He pointed to the beautiful blonde. She hung onto his arm possessively and looked scornfully at the human girls. Emmett simply looked down at her with an amused expression on his face. A collective sigh of disappointment went through the room when they realised that the two newcomers were taken. Emmett laughed and Rosalie glared. I began to wonder if she was capable of anything but.

As the two of them walked by our desk to sit down, Edward put his arm around me protectively, in case the vampires were dangerous. As they walked by, Emmett winked at me and Edward's hold tightened indefinitely. Alice had really held out on us. This was obviously what her vision was about. She could have given us some warning. That pixie would have a lot to answer for when I got my hands on her.

**Heheheh! Until next time. **

**Xx**

**Kate**


	11. Unexpected

**Disclaimer: do I own twilight? No, I do not. If I did, I'd be rich. If I was rich, I wouldn't be here. I'd be swimming in a big pool full of money. Seriously. **

**Next chapter! So far, I've gotten 141 reviews. Remember 150= a present from me to you. The only suggestion I've gotten is an extra long chapter, so if I get no more it'll be that. Just letting you know. You can suggest whatever you'd like, e.g. a whole chapter of EPOV etc etc. I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed and suggest a certain story. It's called Renesmee lost by gempire. I don't think many have read it. I've recommended it before but it's really good. Go check it out. Okay, on with the chapter. Don't forget to review!**

BPOV

The big one, the male, had a booming voice that filled the room. 'Hello,' he said, 'My name is Emmett McCarthy and this is my girlfriend Rosalie hale.' He pointed to the beautiful blonde. She hung onto his arm possessively and looked scornfully at the human girls. Emmett simply looked down at her with an amused expression on his face. A collective sigh of disappointment went through the room when they realised that the two newcomers were taken. Emmett laughed and Rosalie glared. I began to wonder if she was capable of anything but.

As the two of them walked by our desk to sit down, Edward put his arm around me protectively, in case the vampires were dangerous. As they walked by, Emmett winked at me and Edward's hold tightened indefinitely. Alice had really held out on us. This was obviously what her vision was about. She could have given us some warning. That pixie would have a lot to answer for when I got my hands on her.

The day dragged on. We were eager to speak with the two new vampires. I was right about jasper and Alice missing the second lesson, though I did not particularly wish to dwell on that fact. Edward and I shared most of our lessons that day, which helped to make them somewhat less mind-numbingly boring.

Finally, it was lunch time. The sound of the student body making their way to the lunch-room filled the air. The four of us walked towards it in what felt like slow motion. I itched to run, but the humans would notice and there would be no logical explanation for the fact that I was able to move so fast that I blurred.

We reached the lunch-room after what felt like eons. Upon our entrance the usual silence descended upon the room. Over time, it had become easier to ignore. We scanned the room for the others, but could not see them. I sighed and made my way to buy the food that I would never eat. The others did the same.

The four of us sat together and kept a watchful eye on the room. We were waiting for the new vampires, Rosalie and Emmett, to enter. It wasn't long. The whole room descended in silence, again. The students looked on in awe as the two inhumanly beautiful individuals sauntered over to us. Unlike us, they seemed to relish the attention. They bathed in it, whereas we simply shied away.

They reached our table after a painfully long time. Emmett plopped down on a seat across from Edward and I. Rosalie gracefully lowered herself onto the seat right next to him. Emmett got straight to the point, stuck out his hand and said, 'Hello, my name is Emmett McCarthy. This is my mate Rosalie. It's good to find some other vampires who drink animal blood.' He said this in such a casual manner that I couldn't help the unladylike snort that escaped my lips. Rosalie shot me a withering look and Emmett grinned at me and said, 'I think I'm going to like you.'

All through lunch we had discussed matters with the new vampires. Alice had apparently seen that they would join our family. Edward and I thought that we should actually ask esme and Carlisle first, but of course they would be thrilled with the idea. Plus, you should never bet against Alice.

We arrived home that day with the newcomers in tow. When esme saw us her mouth formed a perfect o. As soon as Alice had informed her of the situation in her normal energetic manner, Esme's entire face erupted in pure happiness. She immediately called Carlisle home from the hospital and he of course was just as happy. I couldn't exactly say that I shared the feeling; Rosalie wasn't the nicest of people. Edward apparently agreed. He was giving her a wide berth, apparently Miss Ice Queen was used to every man she met falling at her feet, and the fact that he was 'single' and had absolutely no interest in her was a 'great insult'. I pointed out that she was taken, but she said and quote, 'It's not my fault that men fall all over me, I'm just so beautiful. Of course, **you **wouldn't know anything about that.' Such a modest, lovely, kind girl. Just the kind you'd want to join your family. Just in case it wasn't evident, those words should be served up with a vat of sarcasm.

When all the excitement had somewhat died down, I went to my room. Edward came with me. He told me that Rosalie scared him, which made perfect sense, if you ask me. I began to read and Edward lay down and hummed a lullaby he was working on. It was peaceful and we simply enjoyed each other's company. Suddenly, there was a loud crash and an ear splitting scream of horror. I felt fear stab through me. Edward looked just like I felt. We rushed out of the room, heading for the origination of the sound. We arrived at Emmett and Rosalie's room. I had a bad feeling about this. The door was wide open and esme was standing outside of it with her hand to her mouth and a shocked expression on her face. I really did not want to look in the room. Unfortunately I could not help myself. The first thing I noticed was a mess of splintered wood and ripped fabric. With a start, I realised that it was once a bed. I put two and two together and realised what it was that I would see next and closed my eyes so that I would not have to have **that **particular image burned into my memory for the rest of eternity. Edward seemed to have the same idea. Emmett's voice came from the room, 'Hey everyone, could you close the door?' Ugh!

We all had the misfortune of learning that Rosalie and Emmett were, what someone would call, sex-fiends. Lucky us. I am officially scarred for life. I heard things that no-one should ever have to hear. I would not inflict it on my worst enemy. **(A/n: I would heeheeheeheehee) **Well, maybe Tanya. **(A/n: again heehee!) **

School continued to be, mind-numbingly boring. No surprises there. Emmett was growing on me, though Rosalie continued to be an unnecessary thorn in my side. Apparently the feeling was mutual. Emmett seemed to like telling jokes, and pulling jokes. Anything that involved jokes really. They were generally vulgar. Actually, they were always vulgar. I remembered the time when he found out that Edward and I were, in fact no mates and only pretended to be at school. One of the most embarrassing conversations of my existence. He then went on to ask if we slept together for convenience and why we didn't make it official. Mortifying. Then, unfortunately for us, he figured out that we're both virgins. The fact that I was over three hundred years old and had not yet had sex had him rolling around on the floor in stitches. Now, at every opportunity, Emmett announced to the room at large that Edward and I were giant prudes. A bit of warning Alice? Would that really have been so much to ask for? Just a teeny-tiny little bit?!

One day, just like any other, we were sitting in class. Rosalie and Emmett were missing. The rest of us were under no illusion as to what it was they were doing. To be frank, each other. We didn't see them for the rest of the day, which was odd. They usually at least came to lunch. When we arrived home, we found out why. They had been caught in the act. By the principle. And they were suspended. They would have been expelled if it weren't for the 'generous' contribution to the school that esme and Carlisle had given. I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing. 'Nice one, Emmett! Did you forget to lock the door or something?!' He simply glared at me and crossed his eyes like a petulant child. 'Yes, I did actually.' He grunted. Rosalie actually smiled slightly at me; maybe there was hope for her after all.

Over the next while, Rosalie and Emmett refrained from their activities while at school. The staff was watching them like hawks. If it happened again, no amount of money would prevent expulsion. I was sitting in my room one evening reading a weathered copy of Jane Austen's pride and prejudice. First edition. A knock sounded on the door. Thinking it was just Edward I said, 'Come on in, Edward.' The last person I expected came through the door, Rosalie. 'Not Edward.' She said with a wry smile. 'Um, hello Rosalie. How may I help you?' I asked confusedly. She came over to my unnecessary bed and sat down on the end. I looked at her quizzically and waited for her to begin.

'Well, ahem,' she started, 'this is slightly awkward, but, are you sure that you and Edward are not mates?' what?

'Yes,' I replied 'Quite sure, yes. What has brought this on?'

'I'm really not trying to be rude', she replied. 'But I really think you are fooling yourself. I've seen the way that he looks at you and in those looks is nothing short of pure adoration. I've also seen the way you look at him; you may not even notice it. But you look at him the exact same way. You may not know why I'm telling you this; we didn't really get off on the right foot. I also know that it was mainly my fault. For that I'm sorry. The reason I'm telling you this is because, without Emmett, I'd be lost. I love him so much and I'm extremely happy. And I think that if you and Edward gave it a try, you'd be the same. It can't be easy being the only two single people in a house-full of people who are in love. Just think about it okay, and maybe talk to Edward about it.' Then she left, without even giving me a chance to say anything.

Well, I thought to myself, that was... unexpected. Obviously I was wrong about her. I should go talk to Edward.

EPOV (Edward)

I was sitting at my piano, working on a new composition, when Emmett came in. I looked up a him questionably and asked him if I could help him. He seemed serious for once. I don't think that it was a good thing. I was used to seeing him laughing and boisterous, and listen to his vulgar comments about how I was still a virgin. He sat down beside me and was quiet for a moment. I waited patiently for him to begin. Then he turned to me and said, 'Are you sure that you and bella are not mates? Because, man, I've seen the way that you look at her and that's not friendship, believe me. You're completely and utterly in love with her, and from what I can see, she feels the same way. Go talk to her. You won't regret it.' Then his face erupted in a cheeky grin and he turned back into the original Emmett. 'Hey, maybe then you'll finally get some, eh?' He laughed and left the room. I was completely shocked at what he had said and had a delayed reaction. 'Do not speak that way of bella', I growled. But he was already gone. Should I take his advice? Yes, I should. I left the room and found her quickly. She seemed to have been looking for me too. The others were nowhere to be seen. It was the perfect opportunity. 'Bella,' I said. 'We need to talk.' 'I know', she replied. 'Bella, I..,' I started.

**Cliffy! Random question: What are you afraid of/ what do you hate? Me? Spiders, I hate them, their legs freak me out. 8 legs on something is creepy and unnatural. :) Just saying. **

**Enjoy the chapter? Let me know! Review!**

**Ps I know you want to kill me for the cliffy. I'm sorry! I couldn't resist. It was just there staring me in the face. : L**

**Thanks for reading,**

**Kate **

**Xxxxx**


	12. Interrrupted

**Disclaimer: I just realised something yesterday. You want to know what? I DON'T OWN TWILIGHT! I really don't. **

**Okay, everyone. This was a long time coming, and for that I am sorry. I hope you enjoy it. It's a bit longer than usual, so yippee! And, there's a SNEAK PEEK! I have decided that this will not, in fact, be a lemon story. Sorry if that disappoints anyone. But, as some people pointed out, it doesn't feel right. It doesn't fit the story. Thanks for all the reviews everyone! They're inspiring; I think it's up to 167 now! Wow. Keep reviewing! Anyway, I promised a little pressie when I got to 150, but you haven't told me what you want. Come on people, let me know. Don't be shy! As soon as I know, I'll get to work on it, okay? Now without further ado, onto the chapter!**

BPOV

'Bella,' he said, 'We need to talk.'

'I know', I replied.

'Bella, I,' he started.

'WE'RE HOME!' Alice's voice sounded through the house. She and jasper entered the room and saw how close Edward and I were standing to one another. Alice outwardly smirked. Jasper however simply smiled in a subtle fashion. Edward and I jumped away from one another. Rosalie, Emmett, Carlisle and esme chose that exact moment to enter the room. Rosalie looked at me expectantly and I simply averted my gaze. Emmett looked towards Edward who too averted his gaze. He shook his head and muttered 'coward' under his breath. An awkward silence had descended upon the room. Carlisle cleared his throat, 'Ahem, well. I'll be in my study if anyone needs me.' Carlisle gone. 'And, umm. I'm going to go work on designs for some of the uh rooms that uh haven't been done up yet.' Said esme. Esme too. Emmett lifted up Rosalie. 'We're off to bed. See ya, Edward and bella, have fun!' Rosalie, tick. Emmett, tick. Alice and jasper simply left. They were not so crude as to publicly advertise their private life. Of course, they were simply using it as an excuse to leave the tension filled room.

'Umm, so, umm. I'm going to go, uh, practice. I'll see you later, I guess.' And, finally, Edward. Gone, too. I sat down on a chair and pondered the events of the last 10 minutes. Had Edward really been about to say what I thought? What I was going to say? Was it true? Damn you, Rosalie! I'm so confused!

Over the next few days, a sort of unspoken agreement was formed between Edward and me to not speak about the events that had transpired. It got easier as time went on. I could push it to the back of my mind more easily everyday. It seemed that Edward felt the same way. I don't know exactly what would have happened had we not been interrupted, but I look upon said distraction as a sign. And I try not to dwell on the matter.

Alice was completely exasperated with the two of us, but we pretended that her exclamations simply feel on deaf ears.

We finished our sentence in forks, Washington and moved onto the next monotonous area. The changes that took place in such a short period of time never ceased to amaze me. The next decade or two seemed to fly by. I barely noticed them going. I had attended medical school, again. Medicine had made even more breakthroughs. It was awe-inspiring, really. Edward had continued with his music. And Alice, what can I say about Alice? She had continued with her matchmaking. She had made it the aim of her existence to see Edward and me together properly. It was beyond annoying. Emmett had continued to be his annoying, joking self. No surprises there. Rosalie had just continued to, well, be.

We moved around the country, from wet and dreary place to wet and dreary place. What I wouldn't give for a bit of sun. Of course, the only thing I could give, my true identity, is the one thing I can't. How cruelly ironic. Anyway, we found ourselves returning to forks. How strange, to return to the culprit of the awkwardness of all those years ago. The awkwardness we refused to speak of, to think of. It was now the 2000's.

We were just entering the small town. Edward and I were driving his silver Volvo. Rosalie and Emmett were in the back. Alice and jasper were riding with esme and Carlisle.

The house was much the same. Esme had of course improved the décor and such. We entered the house and unpacked. Edward thought that it would be a good idea to hunt before enrolling in forks high school, again. We, of course, agreed. Being around humans while hungry was **not** a good idea.

We arrived at the school and entered the front office. It had not changed much. Of course, it had been modernised quite a bit, but the layout was much the same. I looked at the receptionist's nametag, Mrs Cope. She seemed like the stereotypical sweet, old lady type. Well, not really old. More middle-aged. But, you know what I mean. She looked up at me with a kind smile and asked, 'What can I do for you, dear?' I smiled politely back at her. 'Hello, my name is Isabella Swan. This is Edward Cullen. His sister, Alice Cullen. And his brother, Emmett Cullen. That's Jasper Hale and his sister, Rosalie. We are the adoptive children of Dr. and Mrs. Cullen. We'd like to enrol, please.' We each smiled at her in an angelic fashion, which is quite ironic, if you think about it. Our information was processed much faster than would be expected for the humans. Of course, this sounds terrible but it is the truth. More than likely something to do with our inhuman beauty. She told us that we could start today, but since the day was pretty much over, we opted to simply go home and begin tomorrow instead.

We were walking out of the front office and the human children were leaving the main school, they were, of course staring at us. The humans saw us as idols, of sorts. Over the centuries, I had somewhat become used to it. Though it still unnerved me. The males were ogling Rosalie, Alice and I. The females were salivating over Edward, Emmett and Jasper. I was unsurprised to see Emmett tighten his hold on Rosalie as he glared at the little boys, likewise with Jasper and Alice. What did surprise me however, was Edward's grabbing of my waist and pressing me tightly against him as he growled at them. It seemed that he was growling at one person in particular. A rather greasy-haired boy with a smug smirk on his face, which was currently sliding off as he stared in horror at Edward's murderous expression.

'Edward,' I said frantically, he was so furious that it seemed that he would have absolutely no qualms with revealing our secret in order to tear this particular individual to bloody, little shreds. 'What's wrong?' I shook him anxiously. He was even frightening me now. His eyes were darkening rapidly in unadulterated hatred. 'His…thoughts. How...dare...he?!' Edward ground out between his clenched teeth. 'I shall kill him. I will tear him apart and watch him scream in agony for the things he is thinking about you Bella. I will make the things of nightmares seem like childish fears.' He hissed. Then he started in the direction of the boy in question. What was going on? I had never seen Edward like this. I had to stop him. He would kill the human boy, I had no doubt. So I did the only thing I could think of, I jumped onto Edward's back, and did my best to halt him. It was futile however. His anger had turned his super-human strength into something even more powerful. 'BELLA, GET OFF OF ME! YOU WILL NOT STOP ME!' He shouted and continued steadily toward the young human boy, who now looked ready to soil himself. It was as if I was but a leaf on his back, and my own super-human strength, which I was using to the fullest extent in my attempt to stop him, was that of a two-year old. 'EMMETTT, JASPER! HELP ME!' I shouted behind me. They ran as fast as they could without blurring. They each grabbed Edward, but it was no use. He was too far gone. He was so angry. I felt like crying. Alice and Rosalie rushed to help, but no amount of strength would stop Edward.

Then, suddenly, he stopped. 'Get. Off. Of. Me.' He said in a low growl. 'Not likely.' Emmett said in an oddly strained voice. Edward shook all five of us off of him like rags. Fortunately, he stayed planted to the spot upon which he stood. He turned to Emmett and Jasper with a murderous glint in his eyes. 'You don't know what he was thinking about bella. If you knew, you would not be stopping me. You would be helping me. You didn't see the pictures that he was imagining ABOUT YOUR SISTER!' He then began to whisper to Emmett and Jasper so quietly that Alice, Rosalie and I couldn't hear. When he had finished, Jasper and Emmett were wearing expressions similar to Edward's.

No! We wouldn't be able to stop the three of them. What had the boy been thinking that was so bad? It must have been horrendous. Actually, I don't want to know. I looked nervously to where the boy had been standing, only to find the spot deserted. He was long gone. At least he had a bit of sense. Edward, Emmett and Jasper saw this and said nothing. Edward turned in the direction of his Volvo. I followed him. Everyone else returned to their respective vehicles.

I got into the Volvo beside Edward. He said noting and simply started the engine. He was going faster than usual and he was clenching the steering wheel tightly. Suddenly, the car lurched to a stop. He had pulled into the side of the road and sat there silently for a few moments. Then, he turned to me and whispered, 'I'm sorry, bella. I'm so, so sorry. It was just... his thoughts. I'm sorry for frightening you.' Then he turned to face the front of the car yet again.

'Edward,' I whispered softly. 'What was he thinking?'

'I'm sorry Bella, but I cannot upset you by telling you what that scum was thinking about you.'

'Okay, Edward. But you have to promise not to hurt him, okay? We cannot be exposed for what we are.'

'Okay Bella. I promise.'

Then I reached over and embraced him tightly. We stayed like this for a long time and the sky had begun to darken.

We decided that it was time to get home. When we got in there was no one home. They'd probably gone hunting. Edward headed up to his room and I followed him. Edward turned on some soft music and sat down. I joined him and we were both silent for a few moments. Then I spoke softly, 'Thank you, Edward. For caring.' I didn't look right at him as I said this. He simply nodded in reply. We spent the remainder of the night in silence, listening to the soft melody emanating from Edward's CD player.

The next morning, Alice came bouncing into the room, her usual overly exuberant self. 'CLOTHES! I'VE GOT YOUR CLOTHES! Bella, Edward, time to get dressed.' Seriously, I was centuries older than her. I was more than capable of getting dressed, as was Edward. However, Alice didn't care. She simply wanted to dictate what we wore, so Edward and I let her. We took what she gave us without complaint. I went and got changed, then went out to Edward's car.

We arrived at the school and unfortunately the intended victim from yesterday was not even a foot away from where Edward had parked his Volvo. Edward was alerted to this and again his eyes turned black. I thought that it would be best if I made sure that Edward didn't get out of the car until the boy was gone. But the moronic imbecile was walking this way. Edward had already got out. I knew that if I did not join him, there would more than likely be blood spilled.

I hurriedly exited the car and latched myself onto his arm. 'Edward, please. Calm down!' he looked down at me and his eyes began to lighten slightly. Unfortunately, the unintelligent human was right in front of us by now. 'Hello,' he said, 'my name is Mike Newton. What's yours?' He was only talking to me, and ignoring Edward completely. The nerve of this human boy! Edward put his arm around my waist and pulled me against him, as close as physically possible. Then he answered Mike's question that had been directed at me. 'My name is Edward Cullen and this is my girlfriend, Bella Swan.' Mike seemed to deflate at this and simply said, 'Uh, okay then. Bye and uh, see you around, Bella.' His hasty exit was more than likely something to do with Edward's glaring at him.

Edward then turned to me and grinned, 'See? I didn't kill him. Now, let's get to class.'

**Well, what did you think? Let me know!**

**Here's a sneak peek. Yahoo! Enjoy. **

**SNEAK PEEK OF NEXT CHAPTER!!**

'Hey everyone!' boomed Emmett. 'Let's play truth or dare!' Was he serious? How old were we? Twelve?

'Come on, Bella. It'll be fun!' Edward? Did Edward seriously just say that? Apparently. He grabbed my hand and we all sat down in a circle. Emmett spun the bottle first, since it was his idea. And it shut him up. Which wasn't a mean feat. Why was I the only one who was objecting to this? Where was Rosalie's usual cynicism? She was laughing and smiling. What the hell was going on? And Edward, usually he would hate playing something like this. Was I in cookoo land, or something? I think that I might have been.

The bottle first landed on Alice. Oh, no. What would Emmett do to her? He giggled gleefully. All the while sounding like a thirteen year old girl meeting her celebrity pretty-boy crush. There was an abject look of horror on her face. She had seen what was in store for her. Emmett ran into the kitchen and came back with something behind his back. 'Alice,' he began, 'I dare you to….. EAT PIZZA!' Yuck! Poor Alice.

She chocked down the disgusting substance, retching all the while. As she did this, she glared daggers at Emmett who was watching in utter glee and relish. Foolish Emmett, Alice would get him back for that.

Alice spun the bottle and it landed on…..Edward! Her mouth curved into a mischievous smirk. Uh oh. I looked at Edward, but his expression was unreadable. He knew what was in store for him, and I was sure it was going to be bad. Alice said, 'So Edward, truth or dare?' It sounded as if neither was better than the other and Edward was attempting to decipher which was the lesser of the two evils. Finally, he said, 'I choose. Dare.'

**There we have it. Review! It encourages me. School work is what is slowing down the updates. Sorry. I'll try and get another chapter up this weekend. Reviews get the creative juices flowing! So if you want to know the dare that Alice will give to Edward, YOU HAVE TO REVIEW! I have a fair idea of what it will be, but that doesn't mean I don't want to hear your ideas. So leave them in a review. **

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Kate **

**.jd.4eva**


	13. First day at school and Truth or Dare

**Disclaimer: twilight belong to S.M. also girls just want to have fun belongs to cyndi lauper.  
**

**This is revolutionary, fastest update ever! Okay so a few things. 1****st**** I really need to know what you want for 150 reviews mark! Please. 2****nd**** when I put up ANs and then delete them for new chapters, people don't seem to be able to review again. For that, I'm sorry. I'll try not to let it happen again. 3****rd**** I'm beta'ing a story called 'the guardian' by imstrongerthanithought. Check it out. 4****th**** if anyone needs a beta, let me know. 5****th****, and finally, ENJOY THE CHAPTER!**

**DON'T FORGET TO REVEW!**

BPOV

Our first class was Biology, with Mr. Banner. By some strange stroke of luck, we all shared this particular lesson. All six of us. We, unfortunately, were forced to introduce ourselves to the rest of the class. Even less fortunately, Mike Newton was also in this class. Emmett seemed to be in his element as he stood in front of the human children, as was Rosalie. Alice didn't seem to particularly mind either way. However, jasper was like me. In that he seemed completely uncomfortable being the centre of attention. I wasn't certain of how Edward felt about the matter. 'Well, I'm Emmett. And this is my beautiful girlfriend, Rosalie.' Emmett, of course. He gave a bow and Rosalie actually curtsied. I don't think that anyone actually noticed these strange gestures. They were too star struck by their inhuman beauty. 'I'm Alice and this is my boyfriend, Jasper.' Jasper held onto Alice possessively as he glared at the human males. He could certainly feel the lust rolling off of them. Even I could feel it in the air; it was almost a palpable thing. I really did not want to have to introduce myself. Fortunately, Edward sensed this and insured that I would not have to. He slid his arm around my waist and looked Mike Newton right in the eye as he said in his velvety voice, 'Hello, my name is Edward.' A collective sigh went through the room at the sound of Edward's voice, originating mostly from the females, but not completely. For some reason, this bothered me. He continued, 'And this is my girlfriend, Bella Swan.' Disappointment filled the room as the students realised that not even one of us was 'available'.

When Edward had finished speaking, Mr. Banner asked if anyone had any questions. Luckily, no one raised their hands. We hurried to our seats. I sat down next to Edward and he kept his arm around my shoulders. That was new. The rest of the day was much the same. Teachers forcing us to introduce ourselves and suffering through lessons about subjects that we had learned off by heart many decades beforehand. It was extremely monotonous. What was different, however, was that Edward was very careful to touch me as much as possible. I mean, we had pretended to be together many times before. But he had never put in as much effort to convince the humans before. He even went so far as to kiss me at lunch time. It wasn't a big thing, just a gesture to tell the males to 'stay away', or so he said. Of course, this caused Emmett to catcall. He wouldn't shut up. Sometimes, I swear, I'd love to just punch him. But you can't stay mad at Emmett for long. He's like an overly muscled teddy bear.

We arrived home from our first day and I felt completely mentally drained. I simply collapsed onto a chair and groaned. Edward's face contorted as I did so. The reason for this I could not fathom.** (A/N: heehee, dirty.) **No matter, humans were tiresome.

'Hey everyone!' boomed Emmett. 'Let's play truth or dare!' Was he serious? How old were we? Twelve?

'Come on, Bella. It'll be fun!' Edward? Did Edward seriously just say that? Apparently. He grabbed my hand and we all sat down in a circle. Emmett spun the bottle first, since it was his idea. And it shut him up. Which wasn't a mean feat. Why was I the only one who was objecting to this? Where was Rosalie's usual cynicism? She was laughing and smiling. What the hell was going on? And Edward, usually he would hate playing something like this. Was I in cookoo land, or something? I think that I might have been.

The bottle first landed on Alice. Oh, no. What would Emmett do to her? He giggled gleefully. All the while sounding like a thirteen year old girl meeting her celebrity pretty-boy crush. There was an abject look of horror on her face. She had seen what was in store for her. Emmett ran into the kitchen and came back with something behind his back. 'Alice,' he began, 'I dare you to….. EAT PIZZA!' Yuck! Poor Alice.

She chocked down the disgusting substance, retching all the while. As she did this, she glared daggers at Emmett who was watching in utter glee and relish. Foolish Emmett, Alice would get him back for that.

Alice spun the bottle and it landed on…..Edward! Her mouth curved into a mischievous smirk. Uh oh. I looked at Edward, but his expression was unreadable. He knew what was in store for him, and I was sure it was going to be bad. Alice said, 'So Edward, truth or dare?' It sounded as if neither was better than the other and Edward was attempting to decipher which was the lesser of the two evils. Finally, he said, 'I choose. Dare.'

'Okay,' Alice said, 'Dare it is then. But I must warn you. I won't go easy on you. Your dare is going to be embarrassing for you and extremely amusing for us.'

'I wouldn't expect anything less, Alice. Besides, I already know what you will have me do.' Edward replied with a defeated sigh. 'Well,' she said. 'I'm still saying it out loud, for everyone else's benefit.' Yeah, right. She clapped her hands together in glee. 'Edward, I dare you to sing in front of us all. But that's not all; I'm going to give you a makeover first. The song you will be singing for us all is a surprise.' Oh, no. poor Edward. Alice took a hold of his shirt and dragged him up the stairs.

Two minutes later, Alice was back in the room, but there was no sign of Edward. She darkened the room and shone a spotlight on a small area at the top of the room. Where she got it I'll never know. She suddenly stood up and began to speak, 'Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. I now present to you Elizabeth, performing 'Girls just want to have fun' by Cyndi Lauper.' The opening of the song began to play and Edward suddenly appeared on the makeshift stage. He was dressed in a blue-sparkly dress and blue high heels. His make-up was done perfectly. His messy auburn curls had been straightened. On his face, he wore a perpetual scowl. Poor, poor, poor Edward! 'I hate this, Alice. I WILL get you back for this. Mark my words!'

'Hush now, Elizabeth. You still have to sing for us.'

So Edward began and even though I felt completely sorry for him, I couldn't help laughing just a bit. It WAS funny.

I come home in the morning light,  
My mother says "When you gonna live your life right?"  
Oh,mother,dear,  
We're not the fortunate ones,  
And girls,  
They wanna have fu-un.  
Oh, girls,  
Just wanna have fun.

The phone rings in the middle of the night,  
My father yells "What you gonna do with your life?"  
Oh,daddy,dear,  
You know you're still number one,  
But girls,  
They wanna have fu-un,  
Oh,girls,just wanna have  
That's all they really want.....  
Some fun....

When the working day is done,  
Oh,girls,  
They wanna have fu-un,  
Oh,girls,  
Just wanna have fun....

Girls,  
They want,  
Wanna have fun.  
Girls,  
wanna have

Some boys take a beautiful girl,  
And hide her away from the rest of the world.  
I wanna be the one to walk in the sun.  
Oh, girls,  
They wanna have fu-un.  
Oh, girls,  
Just wanna have  
That's all they really want.....  
Some fun....

When the working day is done,  
Oh, girls,  
They wanna have fu-un.  
Oh, girls,  
Just wanna have fun...

Girls,  
They want,  
Wanna have fun.  
Girls,  
Wanna have.

They just wanna,  
They just wanna.....  
They just wanna,  
(Oh....)  
They just wanna.....  
(Girls just wanna have fun...)  
Oh...

Girls just wanna have fu-un...  
They just wanna,  
They just wanna....  
They just wanna,  
They just wanna....  
(Oh...)  
They just wanna...  
(They just wanna have fun...)  
Girls just wanna have fu-un...

When the workin',  
When the working day is done.  
Oh, when the working day is done,  
Oh, girls...  
Girls,  
Just wanna have fu-un...

They just wanna,  
They just wanna....  
They just wanna;  
They just wanna have fun...

Girls just wanna have fu-un..  
They just wanna,  
They just wanna....  
They just wanna,  
They just wanna....  
(Have fun...)

They just wanna,  
(Girls wanna have fun)  
They just wanna....  
Oh, girls...  
(Wanna have fun....)  
Girls just wanna have fu-un.

When the workin',  
When the working day is done.  
Oh, when the working day is done,  
Oh, girls,  
Girls just wanna have fu-un.

They just wanna,  
They just wanna....  
(Oh, girls...)  
They just wanna,  
(Have fun....)  
Oh, girls...  
Girls just wanna have fu-un

They just wanna,  
They just wanna...  
When the working day is done...

By the end of the song, we were all rolling around on the floor laughing. 'You go girl!' shouted Emmett through guffaws. 'I'm going to go get this crap off!' he growled and stormed off. Now I felt bad. I decided to go after him to apologise for laughing at his pain. I rushed up the stairs and entered his room to say sorry. When I opened the door, my mouth opened but no sound came out. This was because Edward was standing in front of me in nothing but his underwear with his hair all mussed up. Holy shit! 'Oh, hey Bella.' He said. 'What are you doing up here?'

'Umm,' I said intelligently. It was difficult to get the words out. 'I uhh just came up to uhh umm uhh ….'

'Are you alright, Bella?' he asked concernedly. I continued to stutter as I looked up and down his almost naked body. Oh, god. Is it hot in here? Edward, unfortunately, noticed in which direction my gaze had begun to wander and a smirk crept onto his face.

He pressed his body against mine and pushed me up against the wall. 'What's wrong, Bella?' he questioned teasingly. He placed his arms over my head, essentially trapping me against the wall. 'Edward, what are you doing?' I asked breathlessly. 'Edward, Bella, come on. The game's not over yet.' A voice sounded from downstairs. 'Come on then, Bella. Let's go get revenge on them for forcing me to dress up as a woman and sing 'Girls just want to have fun'. Then he pulled away from me, pulled on a shirt and pants and left the room. What in God's name just happened?

I followed Edward downstairs and sat down. I looked around the circle and when my gaze fell on Jasper, I found him smirking superiorly at me. Stupid empath! Edward spun the bottle and rubbed his hands together. He wanted revenge and I sure as hell did not want to be the person on which it landed. Besides, had he not already gotten his revenge on me? By confusing me beyond comprehension? Or was that unintentional? Ugh, so many questions, so little answers!

The bottle spun. And spun. And spun. Then, it landed on, Alice! She gulped loudly. No doubt she had seen what was in store for her. 'So, Alice. Truth or dare?' At that precise moment, Edward sounded positively villainous. What was weird though, was that, I liked it. Again. Jasper. Smirking. I repeat: **stupid empath! **'Dare.' Alice answered through gritted teeth. Edward's truth must have been extremely horrendous. Because his dare would no doubt be horrific. 'So, you obviously know what's in store for you, Alice. But, to quote you, ''I'm still saying it out loud, for everyone else's benefit.'' Anyway, I dare you to destroy every item of clothing that you own and cut up your credit cards.' Oh my God! Pure evil! But again, I like it. What is wrong with me?! 'Time to begin Alice, I'll start the fire!' Edward was grinning from ear to ear. 'Revenge is sweet!' was practically written across his forehead. Alice was dry-sobbing as she destroyed her precious clothes. When it came to her credit-cards, she could no longer bear it and fell to the floor in a heap. Edward seemed to take pity on her; he had gotten his revenge and couldn't stand seeing his sister in so much pain. 'Come on sis, get up. You don't have to cut up you cards. As long as you promise to never force me to wear a dress again, okay?'

'Yes, I promise! Thank you, Edward! Thank you!'

Well, that was dramatic. Edward came and sat back down beside me. He draped his arm casually across my shoulders and I couldn't help but lean into him. Alice spun the bottle again and it landed on Rosalie. But apparently, that was only to decide who would spin it next, since Alice had already given Edward a dare. So Rosalie spun the bottle again. Around and around it went. And it landed on. Me. Yey. 'Truth!' I blurted out before I could be convinced otherwise. Who knew what Rosalie would dare me to do?!

An evil smirk twisted Rosalie's lovely features. Oh no, I thought, oh no! What was she going to ask me? 'So Bella,' she began, 'how do you really feel about Edward? And remember, you have to tell the truth.' Have you ever felt like a deer caught in headlights, because that is exactly how I felt at that precise moment. 'Uh, no! I choose uh dare! Yeah, that's right.'

'Okay, Bella.' She agreed. 'If that's what you wish. I dare you to kiss Edward for ten minutes straight, without stopping.' What? Was she serious? I couldn't back out though. It wasn't even that bad of a dare. It was just a kiss. This was the mantra that I kept repeating to myself in preparation. Just a kiss. Just a kiss. Just a kiss. Just a.. 'Would you come on already?' Rosalie. 'The prospect of kissing him that bad, eh?' Emmett, of course. Suddenly, Edward was on top of me, and his lips were attached to mine. He began kissing me feverishly and my lips started moving of their own accord. My hands rose and knotted themselves in his hair. I felt his hands at my sides, rubbing through the material of my t-shirt. Suddenly, I felt his tongue slide into my mouth and I am ashamed to admit that I let out a moan of pleasure. I felt him groan as he pressed harder against me. I pulled myself as tightly to him as physically possible. 'And time!' a voice broke me out of my reverie. Edward pulled away looking as stunned as I felt. Everyone stared at us in silence with their mouths open. 'What?' I asked 'It was a dare. I did it. Over and done with. Now let's get on with the game.' Then I spun the bottle again.

**I know, I know! I'm sorry about Edward's dare. Please don't kill me. You got a kiss! Did you like it? Let me know! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**

**XX**

**Kate**


	14. Losing Control

**Hey everyone! Sorry for the delayed update. I'm actually off this week, so I was hoping to update a few times. But of course I have homework and study to do. Not to mention the fact that one of my brother wouldn't let me near ****my ****laptop all weekend. Brothers! Ah, well. I have it now or you. Yippee! Although I'm not completely sure about this chapter. I've rewritten it several times and changed bits. Let me know what you think in a review. I've created a blog! Woohoo! Mainly for stories though. Here's the link: http://elliotandjd4eva1sblog (dot) blogspot (dot) com/ Check it out. I'll post sneak peeks and info on chapters and further stories there. And I've actually begun to use my twitter account. So tweet me MyxNamexIsxKate. Not very creative, I know. But anyway. **

**Enjoy the chapter. **

**Disclaimer: Do I own Twilight? No. No I don't. ****(question talker, heeeheee. If you watch scrubs you'll get the reference. God, I love scrubs!)**

_**Previously**__: _'_Okay, Bella.' She agreed. 'If that's what you wish. I dare you to kiss Edward for ten minutes straight, without stopping.' What? Was she serious? I couldn't back out though. It wasn't even that bad of a dare. It was just a kiss. This was the mantra that I kept repeating to myself in preparation. Just a kiss. Just a kiss. Just a kiss. Just a.. 'Would you come on already?' Rosalie. 'The prospect of kissing him that bad, eh?' Emmett, of course. Suddenly, Edward was on top of me, and his lips were attached to mine. He began kissing me feverishly and my lips started moving of their own accord. My hands rose and knotted themselves in his hair. I felt his hands at my sides, rubbing through the material of my t-shirt. Suddenly, I felt his tongue slide into my mouth and I am ashamed to admit that I let out a moan of pleasure. I felt him groan as he pressed harder against me. I pulled myself as tightly to him as physically possible. 'And time!' a voice broke me out of my reverie. Edward pulled away looking as stunned as I felt. Everyone stared at us in silence with their mouths open. 'What?' I asked 'It was a dare. I did it. Over and done with. Now let's get on with the game.' Then I spun the bottle again._

EPOV

'Okay, Bella.' She agreed. 'If that's what you wish. I dare you to kiss Edward for ten minutes straight, without stopping.' What the?! What kind of dare was that? Maybe I had misheard her. That was probably it. I had somewhat 'zoned out' after daring Alice. That was extremely enjoyable. Apparently though, I had not. Bella was wringing her hands and seemed to be continuously chanting something to herself. Did she find me that repulsive, really? 'Would you come on already?' Helpful, Rosalie. Really. 'The prospect of kissing him that bad, eh?' Thanks bro, I love you too. This was becoming ridiculous. There was no choice in the matter. I could see what the outcome would be if we failed to complete this particular dare, and believe me, it was not pretty. It would be better for both of us to just take this dare. So, I kissed her. Ten minutes may sound like a long time, but it isn't. Her lips began to move against mine. That just made me kiss her harder. Her hands went my hair and knotted themselves in it. Sweet Jesus, what was she trying to do to me?! My hands made their way to her sides. My tongue slipped into her mouth and we each, embarrassingly let out a moan of pleasure. I began to press myself against her harder, if that was even possible. 'And time!' came a voice. I pulled away feeling completely astounded. What had just happened?

BPOV

This time, the bottle landed on Emmett. This would be fun. I sat there for a moment, bathing in the satisfaction I would gain from this particular dare. I began to tap my chin with my finger and said, 'Hmm, Emmett. My dear, dear brother. Will it be truth or dare?' Emmett huffed up his chest and said, 'Huh, I'm not scared of you, bella! I choose dare.' But I could sense the underlying current of fear in his voice. He was afraid, and so he should be. My eyes twinkled in what I suspected was an evil fashion. 'Emmet, I dare you to…not touch Rosalie for a whole month! At all!' Heehee! Rosalie and Emmett's mouths dropped open. Edward, who had since our kiss been frozen in place, looked at me in appreciative amazement and said, 'Nice one Bella, he'll spontaneously combust.' Then he burst out laughing. 'That's not fair!' cried Emmett. 'Rosalie dared you and Edward to kiss, and you dare me to not touch her? At all? For a month? You know what? I'm not playing anymore!' Then he stormed off, not unlike a petulant child.

Rosalie looked at me, glaring at first. Then, shockingly, she burst out laughing. 'Nice one, Bella.' She said. 'I didn't know you had it in you. Well done.' What? Was she not angry? I asked her. 'Not really, I'll be fine. Emmett, however, is a different story. I don't know if he'll be able to cope for a month. Don't you worry, though, I'll make sure he carries out his dare completely.' 'Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!' came a strangled cry from upstairs. I guess that he had heard everything we said. 'See ya,' said Rosalie. 'I'll go see if I can shut the cry-baby up.' 'So, I turned to the rest of the circle, who should take Emmett's turn? Jasper?' I handed him the bottle to spin. He took it from me warily, as if he were slightly afraid of me. Good. Heeheehee!

So Jasper spun the bottle. It spun and spun and spun and landed on….Edward. Again. He did not seem particularly happy about this fact. Jasper smirked at him and asked, 'Truth or dare?' 'Truth.' Edward answered. 'Okay, what to ask, what to ask.' mused Jasper.

'I've got it,' Jasper said triumphantly with a click of his fingers. 'Now, Edward. You have to answer truthfully.' He said condescendingly as he waggled his finger at him. 'Edward, when Bella was dared to kiss you, did you feel anything more than friendship? Because, believe me. That's what it looked like. And, by the way. You can't lie to me. Empath, remember? I just want you to admit to what I already know.' As he finished speaking, Jasper had a mischievous glint in his eye, not unlike the one donned by Alice on a daily basis. Edward and I shifted in synchronised awkwardness. We couldn't exactly tell jasper that he was wrong. He was the empath, after all. I knew that I had experience strange and confusing emotions. But Edward, too? Ugh, what did this mean?!

Suddenly Edward stood up and said through clenched teeth, 'That is none of your business, jasper. Now, stay out of it! I'm not playing anymore.' Then he turned on his heel and strode out of the room. I turned to Alice and jasper, who looked as stunned as I felt. Such an outburst was quite unusual for Edward. 'Uhh,' I said. 'I'm going to my room; see you in a few hours for school.' Then I went to my room and sat down on my completely unnecessary bed. I spent the remainder of the night/morning in deep thought, contemplating the current events of my existence. Events that were confusing me beyond comprehension. It felt like no time at all before I heard Alice's melodic voice call up the stairs that it was time to leave. Great, I thought to myself, a car ride with just me and Edward. That won't be awkward at all.

I dressed in a daze and descended the stairs on auto-pilot. I had to get out of my head. The thoughts that were battering my brain were driving me completely insane. There were actually so many that they were interrupting one another. Thoughts! Was that possible? Or was I going completely insane? Probably. Could vampires go insane? Would they lock me up in a secure room, until I ceased to be, from lack of sustenance, i.e. animal blood? Maybe, but probably not. 'Bella, are you okay?' I heard Edward's soft and velvety voice. I was in the car? Really? Wow, I was out of it. Completely. 'Yes,' I answered. 'I'm fine, Edward. Thank you.' A look of relief passed over his face, which was undeniably sweet. That he cared so much. 'Are you okay, Edward? You seemed quite, uhh, angry at, umm, Jasper's question earlier this morning. I actually thought that maybe you were angry with me.' His hands were clutching the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles were an even ghostlier white than they usually were. And believe me, this was no mean feat.

'I'm not angry with you Bella,' he replied through clenched teeth. 'Jasper, on the other hand. Jasper! He had no right to ask me that. No right! No right to use his abilities to let such a delicate piece of information out into the world.' Then he began to grumble and mumble aggressively to himself. I caught a few expletives, mostly expletives actually. Of course, Edward was a perfect gentleman, and so would never utter such vulgar language out loud in the presence of a woman.

This continued the entire way to school. To say that Edward was in a foul mood would be the understatement of a few millennia. He was raging, furious, incensed, murderous. None of these words even came close to describing him. I just hoped that Jasper would have the common sense to stay out of his way until he had somewhat calmed down. Apparently, he did. Unfortunately, I could not say the same for the foolish human males. Did they not realise it would be best to keep their thoughts to themselves, for once in their pathetic lives? Of course they couldn't. That would be too much to ask. Edward was accustomed to being subject to their vulgar fantasies concerning yours truly. He didn't like it, but he was used to it. Normally, he would simply ball up his fists and hope for the self-restraint he would require in order to keep from snapping their necks. Unfortunately, one boy voiced his thoughts to his friend beside him. He'd chosen a particularly bad day, seeing as how Edward was already in a foul mood. He moved so fast, I didn't even see him. Before I knew what was even happening, he had the poor child up by the scruff of the neck, against the wall. Edward was growling and the boy looked about ready to soil himself. 'Apologise.' Growled Edward. 'RIGHT NOW, APOLOGISE TO BELLA!' he roared. The kid's lip began to tremble. I think that his name was Eric. I wasn't sure though. But that didn't matter. I had to stop Edward! A crowd was beginning to form. 'Apologise for the things you said about her, the way you looked at her, THE THINGS YOU THOUGHT ABOUT HER! You have no right! No right! She is mine. Do you hear me? MINE!' By this stage, Edward had bared his fangs and I wouldn't be surprised if Eric had actually soiled himself after all I was scared too, and Edward's wrath was not even aimed towards me. Did he mean what he had just said, or was it just because we were pretending to be together and he was an extremely over-protective, and let's face it, typically male, friend so he did not want my name and person to be slandered in such a fashion? Or was it because he was just really angry and wanted to take it out on someone?

This had continued for long enough. I had to interfere, or there would definitely be blood spilled. I wrapped my arms around Edward's waist. This seemed to surprise him, which was of course my intent and he suddenly stiffened. He unceremoniously let the child drop and became instantly calm. 'What are you doing, Bella?' he whispered. 'I'm attempting to stop you from making a big mistake,' I replied. 'Please, stop. For my sake if nothing else.' He considered this for a moment and, finally, seemed to agree. He stood up straight and assumed a non offensive stance. I took this to mean that I could now let go of him. I looked down at the poor child and saw that he was sobbing in a heap upon the ground. He had assumed the foetal position and, quite frankly, looked pathetic. I would never have allowed Edward to harm him. However, I guess that he didn't know that.

Edward turned on his heel and left, his jaw set tightly. His expression informed the world that he was not in the mood for its shite. I hurried after him and took his arm gently. I smiled at him in thanks, hopefully that would alleviate some of the tension that had built up in his shoulders. He attempted to smile in reply, but it was strained. Since it was currently only lunchtime, I thought that it would be best for all parties involved if Edward and I were to take the rest of the day off. No need to push Edward even further. Give him the rest of the day to cool off. With any luck, he would be in a better mood tomorrow, and in a better state to attend school.

I waited for the crowd that had formed to somewhat dissipate before I suggested that we forego the rest of the day. Edward seemed more than happy to oblige. We waited for the perfect moment, and swiftly slipped into Edward's Volvo. The car glided out of the parking lot without attracting any attention, thankfully. We were unsure of where to go exactly, but didn't wish to stay in the car. We drove for a bit, and then Edward stopped, seemingly randomly. We got out of the car and ran in silence. Edward seemed to be looking for something. What, I could not fathom. Then, he sped up. It seemed that he had found the trail of what he was looking for. Were we hunting? No. There were no significantly sized animals nearby. Maybe he recognised something, a landmark perhaps. I was baffled. I had no clue where he was leading me, but I knew I was in no danger. This was **Edward** we were talking about. We continued to run for a short while. Then, suddenly, he stopped. I had no clue why. Where we had stopped was nothing special. It looked exactly the same as the rest of the forest. Greens, browns, etc.

Edward stepped forward a few paces. I followed. And was astounded. I couldn't have been more wrong. This was not like the rest of the forest. Whatsoever. It was a meadow. A beautiful meadow. It was a perfect circle of trees surrounding an area of grass and flowers. It was dappled with sunlight, a glorious sight. It seemed that nature had fashioned a perfect oasis. A private and picturesque location, just waiting to be discovered by anyone who could be bothered to look for it.

And Edward, Edward simply added to the beauty of the meadow. The sun was making his skin sparkle like diamonds. Precious, glistening diamonds. How had Edward found this paradise? 'I found it while I was hunting. It's peaceful and quiet. I like it.' He answered my unasked question softly.

He sat down and allowed the sun's rays to caress his skin. I sat beside him and he lay down, tugging me with him. 'Close your eyes'. He said. 'Relax.' I didn't want to close my eyes. When I attempted to, my brain protested the loss of such a beautiful sight. Edward in the sun was truly a sight to behold. He sensed my attention on him and his eyes shot open. He looked back at me with something indistinguishable in his eyes. He's just wondering why I'm staring at him like a moronic imbecile. That's what I told myself, but even I didn't believe it. He was looking at me in the same way that I imagined I was looking at him. I realised that I was also sparkling, but I could not possibly look a fraction as glorious as he did. We spent an immeasurable moment staring into each other's eyes. Then, the moment was lost. We each broke eye contact and shifted in an uncomfortable manner. Edward moved away from me. Not too far a distance, but I was still hurt. Then it was silent.

We stayed there for a time, not moving an inch. I wasn't sure exactly how long. My mind had begun to wander, and I was thinking of mundane, unimportant things. It was peaceful and relaxing. I watched as the clouds floated across the sky. I tried to distinguish particular shapes, it was oddly fascinating. The sky darkened quickly. Suddenly, the heavens opened. The torrential rain came down fast and hard, completely unexpected. I didn't mind the rain; it felt cool on my skin. It was extremely refreshing.

'Come on. Let's go.' Apparently Edward did not agree. He took my hand and hoisted me up. 'It's late,' he explained. We walked briskly back to Edward's car and returned home. Edward had been right, it was late. School would start in two hours. How had time passed by so quickly? The next two hours were a blur and before we knew it, we were off to school yet again.

**Hope you enjoyed it. Let me know. Leave a review!**

**Xx**

**Kate**


	15. Jealousy

**I haven't updated in a wile, I know. But I've been working on my newest story, 'We're Married?' It's an entry for the ****field trip of love competition, held by ****Alicia Vampire101****. There are 3 chapters so far. Check it out! As I've mentioned before I wanted to give you a present for the 150 reviews. I now have 186, and still no ideas from you. I've now decided on doing another for 200. An even better one! Let me know ASAP so I can start working on it. Now this is just an idea. I want to know yours too. What about Alice's vision of Edward and Bella in the future. Let me know your ideas too. **

**Now, enjoy the chapter. **

**Me: Ms Meyer.**

**SM: What is it now?!**

**Me: *in a tinny tiny voice* I was just wondering, could I please own Twilight?**

**SM: Have we not been over this? NO!!**

**Me: B-u-ut!**

**SM: You are dismissed!**

**Me: This isn't over! **

**SM: Yes, yes it is. **

**I don't own twilight. But I do own a copy of the books, the soundtrack, the DVD and a new moon t-shirt! Yey! Can't wait to see the movie! Now, without further ado. Enjoy the chapter!!**

BPOV

The ride to school was silent. Edward seemed to be immersed in his thoughts. As was I. The things that had happened yesterday. What did it all mean? When we arrived at school, Edward was given a wide berth. Apparently, what had happened yesterday had reached everyone in the school. The boys looked on in fear, whereas the girls looked on in jealousy. Edward suddenly chuckled. I looked at him in surprise. It was the only sound he had made since we left the meadow. My look was questioning and he answered before I opened my mouth. 'I find it extremely refreshing to not be subjected to their vulgar and repulsive fantasies of you. I should have done what I did yesterday ages ago. They're too afraid to even think those types of things anymore!' He then went on to begin whistling. Edward! Whistling! What was the world coming to?!

Our family seemed to be thinking along the same lines. They joined us and stared at him in abject astonishment. Well, except for Alice. She was simply smirking. Nothing surprised that pixie. Emmett seemed to be the first to overcome his shock. A grin spread over his face and he opened his mouth to say something. Never a good thing. 'So Eddie!' he began, 'Why so happy?! Finally lose your virginity, eh? I guess it didn't take you too long. You're only like, what? A hundred years old?!' Then he burst into raucous laughter as if this was the funniest thing that had ever been said in the history of man. Nobody else laughed.

Surprisingly enough, Edward was unfazed. He simply bade our family adieu and dragged me off to our first class of the day. I was beyond confusion. I looked back at Alice in the hope of some answers but was, unfortunately, me only by her smirking at me. Evil, little pixie! Edward's arm curled around my shoulders and he continued to whistle. However, he then grimaced. He whispered in my ear. 'The males may have stopped fantasising about you in my presence, but the females fail to extend the same courtesy. Care to threaten one of them for me, love?' He winked at me as he said this. Now, what did that mean?! Was he actually serious? We arrived at our class just in time and I sat down in a daze. The teacher began her lecture and I settled in for yet another monotonous day at this hellish institution that wore the guise that of a place of learning. I yawned for effect. Which caused the teacher to glare at me and Edward to smile down at me, his eyes twinkling seriously, what was wrong with him today.

Classes until lunch dragged by. They were slow and boring. Lunch would be no better. At least we were all together. We bought our unappetizing meals and sat down. Alice was even more boisterous than usual. I didn't even think that was possible. We asked her what the matter was and she told us to be patient. That we would know soon enough. Then she began counting under her breath. She was my sister. I loved her dearly, but she had some serious issues. I projected this thought to Edward, so Alice would not hear, and he grinned at me. Alice must have seen it in both of our minds and she interrupted her count-down to stick her tongue out at both of us. Jasper looked on in amusement. Whereas Emmett and Rosalie were completely oblivious to their surroundings, seeing as how they were having a make-out session right in front of us. I guess that dare didn't stick then after all.

Alice suddenly clapped her hands together in glee and sat back, not unlike someone about to watch a particularly entertaining movie. This must be what her vision was about. Something good was about to happen. I followed the direction of her gaze and was astounded to see one of the human females heading towards our table. Lauren Mallory was her name. She was renowned as the biggest slut at Fork's High. What in god's name was she doing here? She walked right up to Edward, who had his arm around ME, and practically sat in his lap. The nerve of her! Who the hell did she think she was?! She began to purr in what I'm sure she assumed was an attractive manner and stroked her manicured fingers up and down Edward's chest. She sounded like a starved, half-drowned cat begging for food and a bit of warmth. Pathetic. Edward looked wholly nauseated. 'Hey, Edward,' she purred in her nasally voice, 'Do you want to come for a ride with me?' She put emphasis on the word 'ride'. Whore!

That was it. I stood up and answered for Edward. He looked too sick to do it himself. If I didn't know it was completely impossible I would've expected him to throw up. 'No, he doesn't. Actually.' She sneered at me; she had actually put her arms around him. The pure audacity of her! 'What would you know, Bella? I'd be way better at satisfying Edward than you! At least I know what a man wants!' Who the hell did she think she was?! 'Just because you'd have sex with anything that moves, doesn't mean you know what a man wants. Now get your STD infected body away from my boyfriend!' I replied menacingly. She spluttered at my insult and I could vaguely hear the oohs and ahhs of the other children in the cafeteria. I guess that we had an audience. Great! Not. 'How dare you?!' she finally said. How dare I? How dare she?! She was still in Edward's lap. Why had he not pushed her off yet? Stupid, polite Edward!

I decided that I would do it myself. I grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and pinned her to the wall. She squealed in fear and then tried to save face by obnoxiously saying, 'Sorry to disappoint you, Bella. But I don't, like, swing that way!' Then she began to laugh hysterically, as if her comment was in any way funny. She looked around at her peers, confused beyond belief that nobody had rushed to her aid. I smirked, this would be fun. 'Very humorous.' I replied. 'Too bad no-one else seems to think so. Now listen to me, you little slut. I'll let you off with a warning this time. But if you so much as think about Edward in that manner again, I will kill you. Do you hear me?' I bared my teeth as I said this. Her face had grown paler and paler with my words. She was almost as pale as me now. She nodded her head vigorously and ran off to her little friends. I distinctly heard her mutter, 'Bitch!' under her breath as she scuttled away. 'What was that?' I asked, cupping my ear. She let out a terrified whimper and didn't answer. The students couldn't seem to decide between cheering or pretending that nothing had happened. So they stared at me instead. I returned to my seat and resumed picking at my disgusting food. Emmett burst into laughter. 'Way to go, Bella!' Jasper, Rosalie and Alice were also laughing. 'That was soooo much better than in my vision, Bella!' Alice said. 'Yeah, thanks for the heads up!' I said sarcastically. 'It wouldn't have been as funny if I'd told you about it.' She replied matter-of-factly. Edward simply grinned down at me. 'You know,' he said, 'I was only messing earlier.' Then we all erupted into uncontrollable laughter.

The rest of the day passed quite quickly and we left in a great mood, due to what had happened at lunchtime. We entered the house in good spirits. Which were suddenly cut short when a disgusting scent reached us. Werewolves! We all rushed into the living room to see the La Push werewolf pack, Carlisle and Esme. What was going on? 'Oh, here they are.' Carlisle said. 'Umm, Carlisle.' I asked. What's going on?' The wolves being here made me nervous. Carlisle smiled at me in reassurance, but it was slightly forced. I didn't blame him. A pack of werewolves standing right in your living room was slightly unnerving. 'The wolves are simply here to make sure that we are upholding our side of the treaty.' His teeth clenched slightly at this in suppressed anger. I was outraged. How dare they?! 'Of course we are holding up our side of the treaty, how dare you come into our home and interrogate us like this?!' The pack leader advanced on me. Who did he think he was?

Suddenly, Edward was in front of me, crouched and growling. Carlisle called for calm and the wolf backed off. Edward slowly stood up but did not move from his position in front of me. The wolves morphed into their human form. Apparently, they trusted us enough to do that. I noticed that the pack had gotten bigger. There were a few boys in their late teens. They could not have been a part of the pack for very long. One of them was continuously staring at me. This caused Edward to start growling again. 'Jacob, pay attention!' barked the pack leader. This caused the boy, Jacob, to blush furiously. Edward was still growling viciously. I stroked his arm and made soothing sounds. 'Shh, shh.'

I hadn't paid any attention to what was actually being said and was surprised when the pack left suddenly. Carlisle seemed to be in a good mood, so I was sure that nothing bad had happened. Everyone else seemed happy enough as well. Except for Edward, who was muttering to himself about 'lousy mutts'. 'Everything is fine.' Carlisle said. 'Yeah, everyone. Crisis averted!' Emmett boomed. Then he turned to me grinning. Not good. 'Hey, Bella. The mini-werewolf's got the hots for you! Jacob and Bella sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G, first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a cub in a golden carriage.' Emmett, of course, thought that this was hilarious. Edward's teeth were grinding together so hard that I thought they might break. 'Stupid werewolves!' he muttered. 'Calling us monsters. Then changing their tune as soon as they see a vampire they're attracted to. Hypocrites! The thoughts of him, he's worse than the boys at school!' Then he stormed off. Poor Edward. I hurried after him. I heard him slam the door of his bedroom. I knocked on his door and entered cautiously.

'Are you okay, Edward?' I asked gently. 'Fine!' he replied through gritted teeth. 'Just fine!' It was painfully obvious that he was not fine. 'You don't sound fine, Edward. What's wrong?' I asked. 'Of course I'm not bloody fine!' he replied. 'Day in, day out, I'm subjected to their fantasies about you! Do you know how that makes me feel? Do you? Furious! That's how. I want to tear them limb from limb! How dare they think about you like that?! Who do they think they are?' Edward was literally shaking with rage. I hadn't known that the effects of his gift were taking such a toll on him. He was sitting on his bed so I crawled up next to him and lay down beside him. We spent a time in comfortable silence. I guessed that this was the closest vampires could come to sleep.

After a while I asked Edward if he would like to go hunting. He agreed and we were off. When we got home from hunting, Edward seemed to be in a much better mood. We spent the rest of the night in his room listening to music and talking. Then Alice came into the room and told us we had to leave for school. Another monotonous day of boredom. Yippee! Not.

**Well, what did you think? Let me know! Reviews equal faster updates. I swear!**

**REVIEW!**

**Xxx**

**Kate **


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello readers of 'What if things were different?' Long time no see. I apologise profusely, life has hindered updates. On all stories. But here's an update! I have no school tomorrow, due to snow. So I'll try and update again tomorrow. Fingers crossed! I've also recently updated my other story in the works. It's called, 'We're Married?' and is for AliciaVampire101's field trip of love contest. Check it out, and if you like it, please vote for me. I'd like to thank everyone who has given me any type of feedback on this story, I really appreciate it. So thanks to anyone who reviewed, story alerted, added to favourites, etc, etc... Now onto the chapter. It's a bit shorter than usual, but I think that the content makes up for it. There's a bit of a cliffy at the end, so if you're dying to know what happens next, visit my blog for sneak peeks! And if I get loads and loads and loads of reviews, I promise to update tomorrow. I'll even start working on it as soon as I've posted this and put a sneak peek on my blog. Without further adieu, onto the chapter. Ps don't forget to review! **

**Disclaimer: If I owned twilight, would I be here? In all honesty? No. I do not own Twilight! I swear! **

BPOV

Edward and I climbed into his Volvo. It was time for another tortuous day at Forks High. I could barely suppress my excitement. Not. Edward sighed beside me. I glanced at him, 'What's wrong?' 'I don't want to go to school today, that's what's wrong!' he replied tensely. I was about to say something when he continued. 'I don't want to spend yet another day watching human males fawn all over you and fantasise about you in a vulgar manner. I don't want to listen to their disgusting thoughts and adolescent opinions of the world. I don't want to listen to facetious teachers drone on about subjects I could give lectures on at college level. I don't want to deal with their insignificant squabbles and fights. Their pathetic little spats with one another.' He was squeezing the steering wheel tightly as he said all of this. I managed to pry his fingers from it when it began to buckle beneath his grip. I had thought he was over this, ready to battle another day. 'Bella,' he said. He looked up at me, his golden eyes miserable. 'Do we really have to go to school today? One day wouldn't make that much of a difference would it? Really?!' He was practically begging now. Maybe it would be best to take the day off. Alice would know, and why, so they wouldn't worry. It would look somewhat suspicious to the school that we were both absent, but who really cares? 'Okay,' I nodded. 'How about the meadow? We could spend the day there, if you'd like.' His face erupted into a knee-buckling grin and he threw his arms around me in a massive hug. 'Thank you so much Bella! I could kiss you!' He sat back into his seat and started the ignition. Then we set off for what was becoming, essentially, our meadow. As Edward drove at a speed that was at least twice the limit, I couldn't help wondering about his final sentence. Why didn't he?

We got as far as we could by car, then set out on foot. But we weren't in any real hurry. We had the whole day to ourselves. Edward took my hand and we strolled at a leisurely pace. It was absolutely preposterous, but where Edward's skin was touching my own, I could feel sparks igniting. When Edward shuffled closer, so that we were walking shoulder to shoulder, the sparks grew in intensity. A fire seemed to well up inside me, bubbling in refusal of being ignored. I was afraid that I would suddenly lose control and pounce on him so I suggested that we race to the meadow. Hopefully that would distract me from what was going on inside me. Whatever it happened to be.

When we reached the meadow, we each fell to the ground, laughing. Edward had, of course, won. He had always been the fastest. I looked at Edward closely. Already, he was beginning to loosen up. Already he was beginning to revert back to the carefree and happy man I knew and loved. I hadn't realised just how much stress he had been under lately. The addition of his power to the draining task of dealing with the humans must be a heavy burden to carry.

He was now lying down in the grass with his eyes closed, taking in the fresh air and nature around us. It wasn't sunny by any stretch of the imagination. The sky was overcast and it would most likely begin raining at some stage. He looked perfect, completely perfect. I sat down beside him. I wanted to talk to him, really talk to him. It seemed that it had been a while since we had really spoken. However, I didn't want to disturb him either. He seemed to sense my gaze on him and sat up, alert. 'Are you okay?' he asked, concerned. 'That's funny,' I replied. 'I was just going to ask you the exact same thing.' 'I'm quite fine,' he said. Though I didn't believe him. I moved closer to him. So close that I was practically sitting in his lap. 'That's just the thing, Edward. I don't believe you. I want you to talk to me. That's what I'm here for. I want you to tell me what's wrong. Please!' I pleaded with him. I didn't want to see him suffering when I could help. He let the façade drop. His face fell and all the hurt and pain that he had been bottling up showed on his face. The sight nearly broke my heart. But his voice was worse. Broken…was the only way to describe it. 'I'm just so scared.' He whispered. I leaned forward and cradled his face in my hands. 'Why are scared, Edward?' I asked gently. How long had he been hiding this from me? How long had this been eating away at him?

'I'm scared, scared of losing you. One day, you'll go off and fall in love. Leaving me on my own. And me, being the selfish man that I am, I don't want that to happen. Please Bella, please don't leave me! Please!' He was dry sobbing now. This was all my fault. He was curled into a ball. 'Edward, I would never leave you, do you hear me? Do you?! Never! I'm so sorry that you would ever think it.' I climbed on top of him and began to attempt to soothe him. Stroking his arm, his back.

His body was wracking violently, 'Edward, please!' I felt like crying. 'Please! I'm so sorry! Please! Please! Please!' I was begging and pleading. What was wrong with Edward?! I began to stroke his forearm, his face, his chin, his back. Wherever I could reach. I had to calm him down. The shaking gradually stilled. He wouldn't look at me. When he finally looked up, his expression was ashamed. 'I'm so sorry.' He still couldn't meet my eye. 'Their thoughts, they get to me sometimes. They make me think that you'll run away and our friendship will have meant nothing to you. I need you, Bella.' At this, he surprised me by gathering me in his strong arms, his arms which felt so nice around my body. Concentrate, Bella! 'You need to promise me,' he said, holding my gaze completely, 'that you'll never leave me. That you'll stay with me forever. Can you promise me that, Bella? You're the most important person in the world to me. Can you promise me forever?' He gazed at me, our faces just a breath apart. His eyes held all his hopes and dreams, laid out before me like an open book. They shone with love and adoration, for me. I was losing myself in the golden pools that were his eyes when I realised I still hadn't answered. 'Forever', I breathed. Happiness personified erupted on his face and he hugged me tight enough to give Emmett a run for his money.

Edward lay back down and became still. He clutched me to him tightly; afraid I would somehow slip away. He was gazing into my eyes and I once again found myself becoming lost in those golden orbs. I didn't notice our gravitating towards one another until our lips were so close a simple breath would connect them. Would he kiss me? Had our family been right all along? Had he meant his love in the friendly, platonic fashion, or something deeper, more profound? His eyelids closed and in the milliseconds it took for my mind to think these things, his lips connected with my own. Suddenly, the sparks that had simply been igniting earlier at our touch, were now transforming into a full-blown inferno inside of me. The flames were spreading out across my body, reaching the top of my head and the very tips of my toes. Edward was on top of me now. He was pressing his body into my every available crevice. I was pressing myself against as hard as physically possible. My fingers had knotted themselves in his lustrous hair of their own accord. My leg wrapped itself around his waist and I let out a long, embarrassing moan. This was met by a deep groan of his own a he let out a strangled, 'Bella.' His tongue slipped into my mouth and fought my own for dominance. This could continue forever. I wanted it to, the pleasure was immense. Somewhere, deep down, I knew that what I was doing was wrong. Edward was my best friend in the entire world. I shouldn't be doing this unless I loved him, really, _really,_ loved him. Unless I was in love with him. Unless I was absolutely certain. But I wasn't certain. I should pull away, now. But it was too late, the damage had been done. _Forever_, that's what I had promised him, _forever._ The question was: Could I keep that promise?

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**Even if it's just to vent about the cliffy! **

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**Kate **


	17. Chapter 17

**Yes , it's been forever, I know and I am very sorry. I hope you enjoy the chapter.  
Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephanie Meyer.  
**

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As Edward's lips moved feverishly against my own and his fingers toyed with the hem of my T-shirt, I knew that I should say something, that I should put a stop to this. However, even when I mustered the resolve to try, all that escaped my traitorous lips was an embarrassing moan. Suddenly, Edward's lips were gone and I barely suppressed a whimper at the loss of contact. What was wrong with me?

Edward's inner gentleman had obviously protested at his behaviour. He sat in front of me, dragging his hands through his hair as I watched him, worrying my bottom lip. Nearly a hundred years had passed since Edward and I had met. I think it was officially time that I admitted that I was in fact attracted to him, but did I love him? Did he love me? Did he regret the kiss we'd just shared?

I mustered up my courage and chanced a glance at Edward. What would his expression reveal? What did I want his expression to reveal? Did I want him to cast the kiss aside, pretend it meant nothing and continue on as before? Or did I want him to profess his undying love for me and his heartfelt wish that we could spend the rest of eternity in one another's arms? Perhaps the latter was a tad dramatic, but something along those lines. The answer: I honestly didn't know. Which was what scared me most of all.

As I met his gaze, I felt both disappointment and relief. "I'm sorry, Bella." He murmured. However, I could clearly see his trademark crooked grin tugging at the corners of his mouth, implying that he was not at all sorry. To be honest, I couldn't say that I was either. We were both silent for a moment, but the strange thing was that it wasn't at all awkward. Edward took my hand in his and raised it to his lips, offering me a reassuring smile. Even though I could feel doubt tugging at me I returned the smile.

Just as Edward and I lay back down on the soft grass, the heavens proceeded to open, releasing the rain I had earlier predicted. For a moment, we remained still, relishing the refreshing nature of the water as it poured down on us. However, Edward all too soon sighed and pulled me from the ground. "Come on," he murmured. "School will be over soon enough, anyway."

Edward snaked his arm around my waist and flashed me a grin that caused my knees to buckle slightly, which in turn caused Edward to smirk at me. If I were human I would most certainly be blushing. Without warning, Edward sped off in the direction of his Volvo, throwing a, "Race you!", over his shoulder. Obviously Edward had had a lot on his mind and our discussion had eased his burden. He was positively carefree. I looked around the beautiful, tranquil meadow and heaved a sigh. If only I could so easily leave my misgivings behind.

As Edward and I drove back home, a silence descended upon us. Edward couldn't seem to keep the smile from his face. I spent the drive mulling over the implications of our actions in the meadow. Thoughts raced around my mind, fighting for attention. Edward had been so distraught this morning, almost inconsolable. However, after our time in the meadow, it seemed that he didn't have a worry in the world. I glanced at him as surreptitiously as I could manage and noted the easy smile on his face. I had known Edward for such a long time, surely I would know if he was putting up a front? Did he love me, did I love him? Yes and yes, Was it enough? That was a far more important and difficult question.

The dramatic change in Edward's demeanor implied that he was extremely dependent on me, he had said as much in the meadow. It wasn't hard to understand, we had been through so much together, I was undoubtedly as dependent on him as he was upon me. However, was he dependent on me in a platonic or romantic manner? Did he really love me or merely believe that he did? Did I love him? I thought so. Was it enough? I honestly didn't know. As my internal struggle continued, I knew that our discussion in the meadow wasn't nearly enough. I had been set completely on consoling Edward and then had gotten completely caught up in the moment. Nothing had been resolved or discussed, not really. I realised that Edward and I would need to seriously discuss what we now meant t each other, as soon as possible. It also became clear that I would have to tread lightly until then, to protect my own heart as much as his.

After what seemed like an inordinately long time, we arrived home. Edward's arm snaked around my waist and he grinned down at me. A tingle went up my spine at the slight contact and served to send my thoughts into further disarray. We walked into the house and were met with Esme and Carlisle, who was enjoying a rare day off. Without doubt they had heard us coming, but seemed surprised that we were home. ''We didn't go to school today,'' Edward explained and Carlisle nodded in understanding. Apparently, no further comment was necessary, Edward's arm remained firmly wrapped around my waist, which did not go unnoticed by Carlisle and Esme, who shot us a knowing look. Thankfully they did not comment.

For perhaps the first time in their presence, I felt uncomfortable. I cleared my throat unnecessarily and moved towards the stairs, hoping Edward would get the hint. He looked down at me, an amused grin playing on his lips. I groaned internally. Apparently, he had gotten the wrong hint. I took his hand and all but dragged him upstairs. I could quite clearly hear Carlisle and Esme chuckling lightly. I pulled Edward into my room and turned to face him. Unfortunately, talking didn't seem to be his main priority and his hands twisted around my waist. I could feel myself beginning to melt and knew that it was now or never, ''Edward,'' I began, ''we need to-''. However, I was interrupted by the tinkling voice of a very excited pixie. ''Bella, Edward, I want to talk to youuu!''

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**I hope you enjoyed the chapter, don't forget to review.  
Thanks,  
Kate**


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